


Stumble

by All_InProcess



Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: Hartwin, M/M, but hinting at attraction is my favorite thing, i ship these two in the friendship sense as well, it wasn't supposed to be like this and yet here we are, it's just a one-shot that got out of hand, these two are my favorite things man idk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-03-25 10:06:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 47
Words: 147,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3806431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_InProcess/pseuds/All_InProcess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(This started out as an AU prompt on Tumblr)</p><p>"His body relaxed and he shook his head as he looked at the young man leaning against the doorframe. He had seen his neighbor enough times, not that they ever had much of a conversation. It was mostly small-talk when they spoke at all. Harry knew that the young boy, who couldn’t have been past his early twenties, wouldn’t turn up on his doorstep unless something was wrong or if he needed a favor, or a little of both."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

There’s a loud banging sound, and Harry instinctively sat up and grabbed the gun from underneath his pillow, finger on the trigger and ready to pull at a moment’s notice. When silence ensued, he reached over and switched on the lamp next to his bed. There was not a thing out of place. He let out a breath and tried to recollect himself. He knew that he couldn’t haven’t been imagining it.

Just as he went to set his gun down, the noises persisted. He put his glasses on and quietly jogged down the stairs, constantly looking around him just in case. When he landed at the base of the stairs he could tell that the sound was coming from the opposite side of his front door. He took a deep breath and tucked his gun behind his back. He opened the door a crack to see who was disturbing him at nearly three in the morning.

His body relaxed and he shook his head as he looked at the young man leaning against the doorframe. He had seen his neighbor enough times, not that they ever had much of a conversation. It was mostly small-talk when they spoke at all. Harry knew that the young boy, who couldn’t have been past his early twenties, wouldn’t turn up on his doorstep unless something was wrong or if he needed a favor, or a little of both.

“You do realize what time it is, right?”

The young boy tried to stand up straight without anything there to hold him up, and it lasted for all of a couple seconds before he put his hand against the brick siding of the house. “I’m Eggsy,” he blurted out.

Harry tried not to laugh, “Yes, I am quite aware of that. You live right across the street from me,” he paused, “I’m Harry.”

“Harry,” between Eggsy’s thick accent and drunken slurring, Harry had all he could do to figure out what the young boy was saying, “I need a favor.”

“Ah, yes, why else would you be on my front steps at three in the morning?”

“Look, my fuckin’ roommate,” he attempted to gesture back to his house across the street but nearly fell over in the process, “locked me out. And I don’t, I don’t have my keys.”

Harry was too amused to not drag this on for a little longer, “I fail to see how this involves me? I don’t have your keys.”

“I need a place to knock out, and you seem like someone who’s not gonna off me when I pass out.”

He watched the young boy shift back and forth on the balls of his feet, and Harry couldn’t keep a small smile off his face. The boy was cute enough, and he didn’t seem like he was really out to cause any trouble. Harry knew all about the boy’s antics when he was sober, but it seemed as though he would be okay to crash on the couch for the night and not burn the house down.

Even though he knew a million and one ways to pick the lock on Eggsy’s front door so he could get back in, part of him didn’t really want to send the boy away. He opened the door a little farther and gestured for Eggsy to come inside, “Alright, fine. But you leave first thing in the morning.”

Eggsy clapped the man on the back, “You’re the man, bruv.”

Harry chuckled and shook his head as he shut the door behind the two of them. He led Eggsy to the living room and told him to wait there, and he’d be right back with blankets and pillows for him to use. Harry went upstairs and stowed his gun away, now that he knew he wasn’t in any kind of immediate danger. He took his favorite red robe off the hook and pulled it on before gathering up a few things for the drunken SOS case that he had waiting for him downstairs.

When he walked back into the living room, he saw Eggsy stumbling around, looking at all the paintings on his walls, getting extremely close but never actually touching them. He fussed with his jacket and tried his best not to trip over his own feet. Harry cleared his throat and Eggsy snapped to attention, as best he could in his state.

“Look at you,” Eggsy walked over and pet the sleeve of Harry’s robe, “Don’t you just look like the fuckin’ governor?”

Harry tried and failed to stifle his laughter, “Here,” he set a pile of things down on the arm of the couch, “There’s two blankets and a pillow for you to use. On top there’s a set of sleepwear.”

“I’m all good, mate, but thanks.”

“It wasn’t a suggestion,” Harry said firmly but with a smirk playing at his lips, “You’re not going to sleep in the beer-stained shirt and jeans that you’re in right now. Not on my couch, I’m afraid.”

Eggsy’s groan transformed into a whine of sorts, like he was a small child all over again, “Fine,” he picked up the set of pajamas, “Where can I…?”

Harry nodded down the hall, “Right at the end of the hallway.”

He heard Eggsy’s shoes scuffing along the floor and it made him cringe slightly. There was the sound of the door creaking open, and suddenly Eggsy’s scream rang through the house. Harry walked down the hall to see what the problem was, and found the young boy standing there in the doorway with the light on, staring in horror at the wall in front of him.

“You got your fuckin’ dog stuffed?! And put him in your fuckin’ bathroom?!” his voice conveyed the pure sense of horror that he felt.

Harry laughed as he looked at the small dog that was stuffed and perched right above his toilet. He had become so used to it being there, that he never thought about what other people might think of it. It’s not like he had company all that often, so no one else was ever there to question why he had his dead dog in his bathroom. “If it makes you uneasy, just look away from him when you change.”

“I’m really startin’ to wonder about you, Harry.”

“Not so sure about that murder thing anymore?”

Eggsy shook his head, “Just, why the bathroom?”

Harry chuckled, “Just get changed,” he turned and walked back to the living room to set up the blankets and pillow for his unexpected guest.

A couple minutes later, Eggsy stumbled back into the living room, his clothes balled up under one arm. Harry couldn’t hide the disappointment on his face as he took the clothes from Eggsy and proceeded to fold them for him. He gave brief instructions as he did, “You know where the bathroom is, so if you’re going to get sick, get sick there and not on my good hardwood flooring. If you really need assistance with something, my room is right at the top of the stairs.”

Eggsy nodded, “Thanks again.” He crawled underneath the blanket and shut his eyes as his head rested on the pillow. He all but melted into the comforter that was around him. It left Harry wondering what his sleeping situation was like at home. He seemed overly content with what little Harry had given him.

“Goodnight, Eggsy,” Harry reached and flicked the living room light off.

“’Night, Harry,” Eggsy mumbled as he began to fall asleep.

Harry smiled as he made his way back up the stairs to his own room. He hung his robe back up and got back into bed. He set his glasses on his bedside table and quickly drifted back to sleep, smiling to himself about the ridiculous situation he had landed himself in.

When Harry woke up the next morning, he combed his hair and brushed his teeth before pulling his robe on once again and making his way downstairs to check on Eggsy. He poked his head into the living room but the young man was nowhere to be found. The blankets and clothes that Harry had lent him the night before were neatly folded and set at the end of the couch. Harry walked over and was about to make his way to the kitchen when he heard the bathroom door creak open, the only time he had ever been happy that he never took the time to fix the damn thing.

Eggsy slowly walked out, running his hands over his face in a vain attempt to wake himself up a bit more. He looked up and saw Harry, suddenly becoming very self-aware and nervous about everything he was doing and everything he had done the night before. After all, he couldn’t really remember what he had done the night before.

“Glad Mr. Pickles didn’t make you scream again, Eggsy,” Harry said with a chuckle.

Eggsy laughed, but instantly regretted it as the painful pulsing in his head sped up.

Harry looked closely at the young boy, whose eyes were bloodshot and he looked as though he hadn’t slept properly in weeks. He wondered why he hadn’t noticed it the night before. “You feeling alright, Eggsy?” he ventured to ask.

The young boy chuckled and shrugged, “Besides the fuckin’ drums playing against my skull? I’m fine.”

Harry laughed, “Come here, I’ll make you some tea that’ll clear that right up.”

Eggsy followed the man into his kitchen and found a seat at the eat-at counter. He swiveled back and forth on the chair like a small child, stopping only when he realized that Harry was watching him. He cleared his throat, “So, um, I didn’t wreck anything last night, right?”

“Except for my sleep?” Harry smiled, “No, you didn’t wreck anything.”

“Sorry, mate. But thanks a million for letting me stay the night. I’m gonna shoot my fuckin’ roommate, I swear.”

“That’s overkill, don’t you think?” Harry smirked.

Eggsy laughed as the man set a cup down in front of him and filled it with tea, “Good one, bruv. Pretty clever for this early in the morning.”

“Always stay sharp, Eggsy.”

The two of them stayed there in the kitchen, Eggsy in his chair on one side of the counter, Harry standing on the other side, leaning against the smooth granite. Harry could tell that Eggsy wasn’t quite coherent enough yet to have a real conversation, so Harry simply made small talk, telling stories of when he’d rescued his friends in situations much like the one that Eggsy was in the night before. The young boy would smile and laugh, keeping eye contact and silently encouraging the man to tell another tale. Harry enjoyed it as he cupped his glass in his hands. It’d been a while since he had someone to just talk to about simple things like that.

Finally, both of them had finished their tea and it high time for Eggsy to head back across the street to his own house. Neither of them wanted things to end, but unfortunately time stops for no one. Eggsy slowly got up out of his chair and stretched, letting out a groan that caught him and Harry both off-guard. They looked at each other and laughed, Harry shook his head as the two of them made their way to the front door.

Harry opened it and Eggsy slowly stepped out onto the man’s front porch. The two of them stood there looking at each other. Eggsy tucked his hands into his pockets and scuffed the toe of his sneaker on the concrete front porch.

“Thanks, Harry,” Eggsy finally said, “You really saved my ass.”

Harry chuckled, “Don’t worry about it. Any time you find yourself drunk and stranded on the street, just knock. Preferably not so sporadically. That way I won’t think that you’re someone who’s trying to break in and kill me.”

“I’ll try to remember that,” he laughed, “but my memory when I’m shot like that isn’t promising.”

Harry nodded, “Stay out of trouble, Eggsy.”

“I’ll try,” he spun on his heel and walked back down the pathway. He jogged across the street and landed himself at his own front door. He knocked a few times and anxiously waited for his roommate to finally open the door and let him in. He stuck his hands in his pockets and shifted from one foot to the other.

Harry watched this all from the other side of the street. He chuckled as he saw the door open and watched Eggsy start waving his arms and gesturing to the house across the street. The young boy’s roommate looked petrified and tried his best to get his friend to calm down. Harry laughed as Eggsy finally shoved his friend through the doorway back into the house. He turned and faced Harry’s house, and when he saw Harry standing there watching, he smiled and gave a small wave. Harry nodded and returned the favor before turning around and shutting the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back by popular demand! :)
> 
> Okay, so this chapter is kind of like a filler/brief backstory/this is what these guys are dealing with right now, kind of chapter. Wasn't planning on extending this so making up for a bit of lost time. Hope you guys enjoy! More in the works. :)

A couple days slipped by, and Eggsy hadn’t caught any sight of Harry. He wanted a chance to properly thank the man, when he wasn’t drunk or recovering from being drunk. He finally got the opportunity when he was just getting back from visiting his mom. He saw Harry across the way, strolling up the path to his house. Eggsy turned and jogged across the street to catch up to him.

“Oi, Harry,” he called before the man could shut the door.

He turned, smiling when he saw Eggsy bounding up the front path. The boy looked a little worn, and Harry couldn’t stop himself from being the slightest bit nosey, “Eggsy, how are you? Everything alright?”

“Yea, everything’s fine. I just, um, I wanted to thank you again for lettin’ me crash the other night.”

Harry nodded, “I appreciate that. Like I said, any time you find yourself in a tough spot, just knock.”

A smirk played at Eggsy’s lips, his bright green eyes alight with troublesome ideas, “That’s quite the offer, bruv.”

“You can’t possibly get into that much trouble now, can you?” he asked despite knowing the answer.

Eggsy tucked his hands into his pockets and shrugged, “My fair share I guess,” he cleared his throat, suddenly feeling very self-conscious about his own bad habits and downfalls, “But anyway, I just wanted to say thanks when I was, y’know...sober.”

A laugh snuck its way past Harry’s lips, “Well, that’s quite the kind sentiment. Thank you,” there was a beat of silence between the two of them, “Take care of yourself, Eggsy.”

“You too, bruv,” Eggsy gently clapped him on the back before heading back to his own house.

Harry shut the door behind him and locked the three locks that he had on it. Even though he was in a relatively low-key part of town, in his line of work it never hurt to be too careful. He walked over to his front window and peeled the curtain back, just enough to check and see that Eggsy was actually able to get into his own house this time.

“Making new friends, I see,” a voice abruptly chirped into his ear.

“Bloody Hell, Merlin,” Harry snapped.

“Who is he?”

Harry sighed, “Why, Merlin? Jealous? I thought I assured you a long time ago that our relationship is strictly professional.”

He could practically feel Merlin rolling his eyes. Harry wasn’t much for sarcasm, but when it was one of the only ways to get him out of an uncomfortable or unwanted conversation he was an expert with it. Much to Merlin’s dismay, Harry hardly used it on anyone but him, seeing as how Merlin was one of the only people on the face of the planet with enough balls to make Harry deal with things he had no desire to.

“With the way things have been lately, you of all people need to be careful. That’s all I’m trying to tell you.”

“He’s all of twenty-three, Merlin. And he showed up on my doorstep too intoxicated to function. I really don’t think he’s working for anyone of importance, attempting to kill me or anything of the sort.”

“You run a check on him?”

“Of course.”

“And?”

Harry hesitated, “Less than impressive, I’ll admit.”

“Like I said, be careful.”

“Merlin-”

He was cut off with a curt, “Merlin, signing off.”

Harry huffed, “Galahad, signing off.”

 

Eggsy pawed through the fridge, looking for something quick to make for dinner. It’d been a long day at his mom’s, to put it lightly. He tried to visit as often as he could to check on her and his little sister, but it was difficult trying to time when his step-father wouldn’t be there. The man had made it quite clear that Eggsy wasn’t welcome there anymore. That was the only reason Eggsy was rooming with his friends from his high school days rather than his own family.

Things had been going fine, he loved spending time with his mother, and he loved Daisy to the ends of the Earth and back again. But he wasn’t blind, he knew that him not being able to be there was putting his mom directly in the line of fire when Dean was drunk, or just had a slightly off day. He didn’t like that but at the same time he felt so helpless, knowing there wasn’t much he could do about it. His mother was in the middle of telling him about her trip with Daisy to the park a few days before, when there was the unmistakable sound of Dean’s old car pulling into the driveway, engine as loud and obnoxious as the man driving it.

The look of horror on his mom’s face hit Eggsy like a freight train. He kissed her on the forehead and gave Daisy a quick peck on the cheek before heading to the back of the apartment.

“What are you doing?” she whispered, as though that would conceal his presence.

“Well I certainly ain’t goin’ through the front door,” and with that, he slid into the bathroom, jimmied the window open just enough so he could swing himself out and onto the slanted overhang of the apartment beneath theirs. He turned around and pulled the window shut before making a winding trail of leaps and bounds to get himself back onto the ground behind the apartment complex.

“Ay, bruv,” his friend Ryan walked into the kitchen, “we just ordered in a few minutes ago. Got you your usual if you’re willin’ to wait a few.”

Eggsy nodded, glad that they were running as late as he was, “Great, thanks mate.”

“Visit your Mum today?” he asked casually as he grabbed a beer from the fridge.

Eggsy nodded but didn’t make any comment about it. His buddies knew that his family situation was a touchy one, which is why they didn’t think twice when he called in the middle of the night saying that he needed someplace to stay for an indefinite about of time.

“‘ow’s your sis?”

His body relaxed; Daisy was always a safer topic than anyone else in his family. He shamelessly beamed, “She’s good. Gettin’ big, Ry. I don’t know when that happened. Seems like yestaday I was holdin’ her with just one arm.”

“Crazy, innit?”

He nodded, pausing for a moment before asking, “Bit outta place, but c’n I ask you somethin’?”

Ryan hoisted himself up and made a seat out of the counter, “Shoot.”

“What d’ya know about Harry? Across the street,” he nodded in the general direction.

“That posh old bloke?” he shrugged, “Nothin’, really. Never spoke a word to ‘im in my life, ta be honest. Why?”

“Just curious,” he lied. His roommate Alex was the only one that was aware of what happened to Eggsy after the party, and he wanted to keep it that way. As far as anyone else knew, he went home with someone and couldn't get in that morning. That assumption suited Eggsy just fine for the time being.

“Never seen him in anythin’ but a suit, though.”

“Yea?”

Ryan nodded, “Dresses like he’s right hand to the fuckin’ gov’ner.”

Eggsy laughed, “Might be, for all we know.”

Before the banter could continue, there was a knock at the door. Eggsy only had to yell out one word to summon the other two boys in the apartment, “Dinner!” And moments later Jamal and Alex came bounding down the stairs, money in their hands to chip in on the meal.

Eggsy collected it all up, putting in his share and the money for the tip, before opening the door. He was slightly shocked to see the person standing in front of him. It certainly wasn’t the lanky, awkward, teenage boy that usually delivered their food.

“Um, hi,” Eggsy sputtered out, mentally kicking himself for being the least suave person on the face of the planet.

The girl laughed, “Hey,” she gave knowing looks to the other boys, “Mikey took the night off.”

“Well damn,” Ryan piped up with a laugh, “why didn’t he ever do that before?”

The girl rolled her eyes and told Eggsy the total for their meal, even though the boys had it memorized as well as their own birthdays. Eggsy handed her the cash, flashing his most charming smile. He glanced at her nametag, “Thanks, Anna.”

She tucked the money in her pocket, “Any time. Later boys,” she spun around and strolled back to her car, peeling off down the road recklessly enough to make Eggsy smile and shake his head as he shut the door.

“Dinner and a show,” Jamal laughed as he took the food and brought it into the kitchen.

They sprawled out across their living room. The television was on but none of them could be bothered to pay attention to what was on. Since their outing a couple nights before, the group of them hadn’t all been together. It was high time to tell what had happened that night, with embellishments obviously.

“You takin’ a piss right now?” Eggsy said with a laugh as he tossed his plate onto the table, “No way Maria woulda left with you.”

Ryan looked a little offended, “What makes you say that??”

The other boys turned and gave him that look that says, “You gotta be shitting me, right?” without having to open their mouths and say it. Ryan huffed.

“Y’know what? Fuck you guys. Lookit this,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

“Aw, bruv,” Alex had a disgusted look on his face, “don’t tell me you took pics?”

Ryan glared at him, “You fuckin’ with me? I’m no perv. We took pics at the club before we left.” He tossed his phone to Eggsy, and on the screen was a very (blurry and low-quality) real photo of his friend with Maria sitting in his lap, lips pressed against his cheek.

Eggsy chuckled and gave a nod of approval, “Nicely done, bruv.”

“Too bad it’ll never happen again,” Jamal piped in with a laugh.

“Actually,” the smugness in Ryan’s voice was tangible as he put his phone back into his pocket, “I’m goin’ with her tomorrow.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes, knowing how this whole story with Ryan and Maria was going to end. Same way it always ended with any of his escapades; the boy was nice enough but he didn’t know when to just let something drop when it came to girls. To keep himself from making a snide remark, or giving the boys a chance to ask for details about what he had done when he left the club, Eggsy got up, collecting everyone’s plates, and walked to the kitchen. He tossed them all in the dishwasher before heading up to his room, changing into a set of basketball shorts and an old cutoff. He pulled his sneakers on, tossing his headphones in and bounding down the stairs.

“I’m going for a run,” he called into the living room, “So for the fuckin’ love of all things holy, don’t lock the bloody door again.”

Silently, though, he noted that winding up at Harry’s for the night again wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Maybe if he showed up sober his night would go a little differently. Maybe he wouldn’t have to spend it on the couch.

Whoa. He shook his head, not sure how his thoughts had escalated so quickly. There was no denying that Harry was gorgeous, anyone with eyes could see that. But he hardly knew the man. He just learned his name hardly forty-eight hours ago. Eggsy shook his head, taking off at a clip in hopes of exercising out some of his pent-up energy.

By the time he got back, it was all but pitch black out. If the streets he ran didn't have lamps every few yards, he wouldn’t have been able to tell his own ass from a hole in the ground. He jogged up the street, stopping at the base of his front walk. He put his hands on top of his head, trying to catch his breath a bit. He looked over at Harry’s house, noticing that there was one light on upstairs. Eggsy had no doubt that it was the man’s bedroom.

Eggsy glanced down at his phone for the time. It was heading towards midnight. He laughed, not realizing just how much time he had spent sitting in the park, trying to clear his head, before continuing on his jog that was really just two steps below a sprint.

He snapped back to the more important questions at hand, though. Like why was Harry still up at midnight? It seemed like the man had a pretty normal job, albeit one that he had to dress up for. But he was always gone by a pretty early hour of the morning, getting back round dinner time, maybe a little later. At least, when Eggsy had seen him that was the time frame.

He took another deep breath, wiping the sweat off of his forehead as he turned up the walkway. He silently prayed that maybe his roommates had locked the door again, but no such luck. It opened without so much as an opposing squeak. Eggsy turned around and looked at Harry’s house, just in time to see the room light flicker off.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I mean. This chapter is a little longer, and isn't really pumped full of Hartwin or anything, I'll be honest about that. But I've been trying to develop their solo stories so that way when they start coming together all the time it'll make more sense and be beautiful.  
> Plus the next chapter will be packed with cutesy-stuff for you loves sticking with me on this I promise. ^.^

A few days later, Harry received a mission that would take him out of the country. Merlin informed him that if all things went smoothly, he’d be home again within the next fourteen days.

“Two weeks?” Harry paced back and forth in the meeting room on the top floor of the shop.

“Since when is time a problem for you, Galahad?”

Harry paused, not really sure why the thought of being gone for that stretch of time bothered him so much. After all, it’s not like he had much weighing him down in-town. If he decided to up and move across the ocean the only people it would really make a difference to were the people at the agency. He took a deep breath, smoothing out his suit-jacket.

“It’s not a problem, Merlin. Just caught me slightly off-guard is all. I don’t recall the last time a mission ETC was that long.”

“I told you, Galahad,” his thick accent making everything sound even more serious, “Things are getting out of control out there. Your job for this isn’t overly complicated in itself, but the tediousness of getting you into position is going to be-”

“An absolute bitch?” Harry offered.

“Precisely,” he paused for a moment, “You have sixteen hours before your flight leaves. I suggest you go home and pack your things.”

“Will do. Thank you, Merlin,” and with that, Harry excused himself.

He walked down the stairs and through the main area of the Savile Row store. Even though he’d walked through the showroom countless times, he still smiled a tad as he walked past the exquisitely made suits and other formal items the shop had to offer. He loved his job as an agent, but there was a different kind of pride that he felt in his work as a tailor.

He shut the door behind him, taking a deep breath before heading back towards his house. He took his glasses off to wipe a spot on the lense, when he felt something roughly bump into his shoulder. Or, should he say, someone. The annoyance melted off his face when he saw Eggsy regaining his balance from running into his neighbor.

He was looking down, in the middle of sputtering out a quick and embarrassed apology, when he realized just who it was that he was talking to. “Oh, um, Harry. I’m, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright,” he noted every detail about the boy’s face, the things that weren’t there a few days before, like the bleeding cut just below his hairline, “Do you need help, Eggsy?”

The boy shook his head, nervously glancing down the alleyway he’d just come flying out of. “No, I’m fine. I’d love to stay and chat, ‘Arry, but…” his voice trailed off, leaving the ending of his sentence to Harry’s imagination.

“Say no more,” Harry’s voice was calm even though he felt very suddenly protective over the blonde-haired, green-eyed wreck in front of him.

“See ya, bruv,” Eggsy’s gaze lingered for a moment before he turned and took off, sprinting down the street.

Harry looked after him as he ran, wondering what the boy could’ve done this time. His record certainly made it clear that he was a jack of all trades, things from petty theft, to drugs, a couple vandalism and assault charges. One drunk and disorderly, but seeing as how Harry had experienced drunken Eggsy first-hand it didn’t really surprise him at all. Others might not find his intoxicated behavior as endearing. Harry wanted to know who the young man managed to piss off. He waited around for a few moments, hoping for someone else to come charging through looking for Eggsy, but the street was quiet, as it should be at two in the afternoon on a Thursday.

Harry got home and packed his things, looking out his bedroom window every few minutes to see if he could catch Eggsy coming home. No sight or sound of the boy, though. Harry hoped that he was at least faster than whoever was angry with him. He didn’t get the fighting kind of vibe from Eggsy. The charges on the kid’s record were all him defending someone else, never him instigating anything. Something about the entire situation left a bitter taste in Harry’s mouth, and there was a large part of him that wanted to have Merlin put a security watch on his troubled neighbor, but he knew that the Merlin wouldn’t be caught dead expending valuable resources on a random kid.

After setting his two suitcases on the cement front porch, he turned around to lock the door on his house. He jiggled the handle and gave the door a firm shove to double-check and make sure that everything was tightly locked.

As he made it to the edge of the street, one of the Kingsman cabs pulled right up outside his house. He put his baggage in first, climbing in after and firmly shutting the door. He looked back at both houses as they drove off. For the first time he wondered just how much could happen in two weeks when he wasn’t there.

 

Eggsy hopped the fence in his back yard before allowing himself to stop and take a breath. He’d been ducking in and out of shops and alleys all afternoon in an attempt to lose Dean’s lackies, but they always seemed to catch up to him again somehow. It was more annoying than it was tiring.

He walked in through the back door, calling out to see if any of his roommates were home.

Alex followed the boy’s voice into the kitchen, where he found Eggsy draining a water bottle as if his life depended on it.

“Shit, bruv,” Alex walked over and pushed the hair off of Eggsy’s forehead, “the fuck ‘appened to your face?”

Eggsy looked at him, clearly perplexed. He whipped out his phone and looked at himself in the reflection on the screen, noticing the gash for the first time. “Ah, fuck,” his tone wasn’t pained, just annoyed.

“Dean?” he didn’t mean for his voice to be so quiet when he said it.

“Nah, not this time,” it was partly the truth, “just a spot of depth-perception issues.” He splashed cold water onto his face and wiped it dry with a paper towel.

Alex sighed, “Fuckin’ Hell. Hold on, mate,” he scurried upstairs and came back down a minute later with peroxide and bandages.

“What’s all this shit for?”

“Well since you’re not gonna tell me how the fuck you busted your face,” he put peroxide onto a paper towel and dabbed it along the cut, “and you apparently ain’t got a single clue as how to take care of yourself, I’m gonna ‘avta be like your fuckin’ mother and make sure ya don’t die.”

Eggsy cringed at the feeling of peroxide on his cut but kept his mouth shut. Alex had a few years on everyone else in the house, and because of that he took on the role of big brother and tried his hardest to make sure everyone was alright and more or less in one piece. Sometimes it drove them all bonkers, but Eggsy tried to keep reminding himself that Alex always meant the best.

He carefully applied the bandage to the cut, smoothing it over with his thumb. “There,” he sighed, “if you wear a hat you won’t even be able to tell you were an ass.”  
Eggsy rolled his eyes, “Thanks, bruv. ‘Preciate the support.”

“You swing by Uni today?” Alex asked as he went to put everything back where he’d found it.

Eggsy sighed, “Didn’t get the chance.”

“Depth-perception issues get in the way before ya could?”

“Really though…” his voice trailed off.

“Alright, fair enough,” Alex sat down at the table across from Eggsy, “but you gotta go, Eggsy. I told ya, I’ll help with whatever ya need, or whatever I can. But you gotta-”  
“I gotta make the first step,” he cut Alex off, “I know. And I will, aight? Today just really wasn’t my day.”

There were a few beats of uncomfortable silence between the two of them before Alex enlisted the boy’s help in making dinner for the night. As much as they loved ordering in, it all added up after a while if they weren’t careful.

“You talk to Ry about his big date?”

Eggsy laughed and shook his head, “Hell no. Why, did you?”

“Not by choice,” Alex laughed as he tossed an empty container into the garbage.

“Good? Bad?”

“Six outta ten, the way he told it anyway.”

“How long till he’ll be moping ‘round the house?”

“I give it two weeks. Three, tops.”

“Glass half-full about this one, yea?”

“Maria’s nice, she might give him the benefit of the doubt for a bit longer than others.”

“Bless ‘er,” he motioned for Alex to prop open the lid to the garbage can. He grinned as he tossed the crumpled paper towel into the bin from the opposite side of the kitchen.

“Not bad for a gymnast,” Alex joked.

Eggsy brushed his shoulders off, “I c’n do anythin’, really.”

Alex nodded in agreement but didn’t make any remark for fear of sounding sarcastic. All he’d been trying to do since Eggsy moved in was encourage him to do something besides get into trouble. He knew it wasn’t exactly easy for the kid, but he also knew Eggsy was capable of way more than he let on.

Once he got sick of Eggsy procrastinating, Alex personally drove him to the university so he could sign up for courses in the upcoming semester. Eggsy groaned and whined the whole way, saying that he was grown and could sign up for his own damn classes, but Alex simply turned up the radio to drown him out. Eggsy folded his arms across his chest and looked out the window, a pout on his face.

When he came back out to the car, Alex looked at him expectantly. Eggsy waved a big folder full of paperwork and gave an exaggerated smile and thumbs-up. Alex grinned and nodded, feeling like a proud father.

“I don’t even know what the fuck I wanna do,” Eggsy grumbled as he leafed through the papers.

“That’s why you take your GenEd’s, bruv. That way you can at least figure out what you don’t wanna do, yea?”

“I guess.”

When the two of them got back to the house, Eggsy glanced across the street. Harry’s house had been extremely quiet the past few days. The lights were never on and Eggsy hadn’t seen the man at all. He hoped everything was okay. He had no excuse to go over, otherwise he’d go and knock, for no other reason than to be a bit nosey.

“So did ya talk to ‘im?” Alex stood next to his friend on the sidewalk.

“Hm?”

“Since we accidentally forced you to sleep over there,” he laughed.

Eggsy chuckled, “Uh, yea. I went over to thank him again. That was a while ago. Haven’t really seen him since.”

“Yea, he’s weird like that.”

“What do you mean?” Eggsy asked as they walked into the house.

Alex shrugged before collapsing onto the couch, running his fingers through his sandy brown hair, “Dunno, he just drops off for bits at a time, then reappears as if nothin’ happened.”

Eggsy nodded, now more curious than ever about what the man did for a living. Maybe he really did work for someone important. Although, the Harry that he had interacted with didn’t seem like he was the type to really deal with high amounts of stress. He seemed to like his life relatively low-key.

Over the next week or so, Eggsy got his schedule for classes finalized, and set about getting all the materials he’d need. As he wandered from shop to shop he began to doubt whether or not the whole education thing was as worth it as Alex made it out to be. At this point, though, Eggsy knew that he didn’t have much to lose. Alex was right, he did need to do something a little more valuable with his time, and hopefully end up getting a more consistent stream of income. After all, he could only sneak around doing relatively illegal things for people for so long before he got caught. He really didn’t want to have to wait until that happened to find a new line of work. His record as it stood jeopardized him enough, he didn’t need any further badges of honor.

 

“Alright, Galahad,” Merlin had been briefing him on a few new developments, “so that means you should be done here in the next couple of days, optimistically.”

“Since when are you an optimist?”

“Since you’ve been on edge this entire mission,” he retorted.

“My apologies. Just don’t have a good feeling.”

“About the mission? Since when does that happen? Or rather, since when does that ever stop you?”

Harry huffed as he proceeded down the hallway, successfully blending into the corporate office he’d been assigned to infiltrate, not that it was all that difficult for him, “Left home on an odd note, is all.”

“It’s that young lad across the way from you, isn’t it?”

The question was greeted with silence as Harry slipped into the executive’s office. He looked around quickly before walking over to the desk, taking a seat in the chair. He started up the computer and listened as Merlin walked him through what to do after he inserted the small USB attachment into the back of the PC’s tower. Harry stopped when he heard footsteps in the hallway, heading right for the doorway to the office. He quickly gathered up the papers that he had walked in with and went back to the door, opening it as the person on the other side was attempting to close it.

“Oh,” the woman said, laughing nervously as she placed her hand on her chest, “Startled me for a moment, there.”

Harry smiled good-naturedly, “My apologies, Ma’am. But Olsen wanted me to bring these to you,” he held the folder up, “said they’re top priority.”

The woman rolled her eyes, “Olsen thinks everything is top priority,” she took the folder from him, “But thank you.”

“Again, sorry for startling you,” Harry nodded politely before walking past her and making his way back down the hallway.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Merlin roped Harry back into their conversation. Again, the agent said nothing. “Harry,” Merlin’s voice was stern as if he were speaking to uncooperative toddler rather than a fellow agent.

He knew it was serious if Merlin didn’t call him by his code name while they were on a mission. Harry sighed, “Yes.”

“Yes what?” Merlin was going to enjoy every second of it.

“It’s about Eggsy.”

“Oh, on a nick-name basis now?”

“It’s how he introduced himself to me,” Harry said curtly, “And I don’t particularly care for your tone, Merlin.”

“He’s a young man, not a lost puppy, Galahad.”

“You didn’t see him the other day.”

“But didn’t I?”

Harry huffed, hating that Merlin really could see everything that Harry was seeing, and more if he was motivated enough. (Not that he ever was unless it pertained to a mission.)

“He’ll be fine, and will still be there when you get back,” Merlin’s tone was matter-of-fact as always, “So focus and don’t die.”

The following night, Harry came into the office building after-hours. The only other people there were the night cleaning crew and a few security guards. He nodded politely to everyone as he passed through, trying not to seem too suspicious. After all, it was odd enough that someone from the Cube Farm was there that late to begin with.

One of the security guards gave him a questioning look. Harry gave an exasperated sigh, “You leave your laptop here one night, thinking you won’t need it, and yet...”

The man laughed, “No such thing as a night off.”

“Apparently not.”

Harry carried on without incident. He made it to the executive floor, looking up and down the hall to make sure there were no guards that he’d have to fight, or sedate, or kill. Those were his three options all too often when he was on missions. He’d love to just be able to stroll in and stroll out and not have to worry about shooting someone with a dose of something.

He attempted to turn the handle on the CEO’s door, but it was locked. He sighed as he pulled his pickpocketing kit from his jacket, making quick work of the outdated lock. He closed the door and made his way over to the computer again. Merlin was in the middle of guiding him through a file extraction when he interrupted his own sentence.

“Yes, and in that folder there should be- shit.”

Harry couldn’t resist, “My apologies, Merlin. There’s no sub-folder titled ‘Shit’.”

Merlin huffed, “You’ve got three security guards coming towards you, Galahad. Right click and hit ‘Transfer All’. I’ll sort through it later. Just get out of there.”

Harry went to grab the USB from the back of the tower but Merlin, none-too-politely, told him that it didn’t matter, it would clear itself once Merlin received all the information, and that Harry just needed to get out now.

Harry opened the door, only to be met by a fist flying into his face. He stumbled back and quickly worked to regain his footing, advancing back towards the men in front of him. As always, it didn’t take him very long to leave the three of them unconscious on the ground. The signet ring really did work wonders in such close quarters. One man twitched slightly as Harry stepped over him.

“Nice work not killing anyone this time, Galahad,” Merlin said sarcastically.

“I told you, last time wasn’t anything personal against them, it was just-”

“A rough time,” Merlin rolled his eyes, “I know.” He sympathized, knowing that the loss of agents took a toll on everyone, but at the same time he couldn’t quite condone the practically-needless killing of people as a means of coping. After all, everyone in the tech department found ways to cope that didn’t involve stepping anywhere near a weapon.  
He guided Harry through a series of service stairways and back hallways so he wouldn’t run into any other security guards, seeing as how sooner rather than later they’d notice three of their comrades missing. As Harry jogged down a flight of stairs he asked Merlin if he got all the information he needed.

“Actually, I do,” he paused, “Well, as much as I can get from your position anyway. Percival is taking care of another leg of this. Looks like you’ll be going home first thing tomorrow if you make it out of here alive.”

“You’re supposed to be making sure that that happens,” he said gruffly as he whipped around a corner.

Merlin rolled his eyes. He was close enough with Harry to overlook the occasional rough comments and disregards, but overall he knew that the field agents didn’t have enough appreciation for all that the tech department did. Merlin couldn’t recall the last time anyone in his department got a normal night’s rest. Being the actual eyes and ears of agents, always having to make sure they were in the right spot and having to know approximately three ways to save their ass from every compromising situation was exhausting. He personally thought that every field agent should spend a few days as a techy, just to see the shit they’re put through.

“Third door on the left,” Merlin told him, “Then follow that hall to the end and go through that door. Should drop you outside the building, right near a convenient alleyway to escape through.”

“Nice to know you’ve always got something up your sleeve for me, Merlin.”

Merlin smiled contentedly to himself, knowing it was the closest thing to a thank you that he would get for the time being. Business was business and Harry had to focus on staying alive; he could be thankful later.

When Harry got back to his hotel room, he fell onto his bed, letting the fluffy comforters envelop him as he began to doze off, still in his suit. Before he could get dragged too far into the world of sleep, though, he forced himself to get up and at least change into a set of sleepwear. He’d die before he wrinkled his suit that badly over something as trivial as sleep.

“Pack your things now,” Merlin’s voice sounded, as well-timed as ever, “you leave before the sun gets there.”

Harry nodded, knowing that it would save him stress in the morning. He folded up all of his clothes, packed away everything besides what he would need to get ready in the morning, and finally set his glasses on the bedside table before crawling under the covers. He melted into the mattress, glad to finally be done for a while and go home.

When Harry got back the following afternoon, he’d never been so relieved to see his own house again. He brought his bags inside and changed into a more casual and comfortable set of clothes. As he made his way out to the mailbox, he caught sight of Eggsy and one of his roommates walking out of the house, getting ready to go for a run. From the quick look that he got of Eggsy, it didn’t seem like he had suffered any more injuries while he was away, which was reassuring. Harry smiled to himself as the two boys took off down the road. For some reason, the town was finally starting to feel like home, not just some place to live.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Okay, Dean is in this chapter and things get ugly. I just don't want anyone to be upset or triggered because they weren't expecting it. Love you all. xox

When they got back from their run, Eggsy noticed the top floor light on in Harry’s house again. So wherever he had been, he was back. A small wave of relief washed over him as he and Jamal walked back into the house. Eggsy’s roommate jogged into the kitchen, grabbing a water bottle for each of them.

“Think fast!” Jamal whipped it at him.

Eggsy turned and attempted to catch the bottle, but there was a fraction of too much space between his fingertips and the plastic. They both cursed aloud and Eggsy shut his eyes tight as he waited to hear the sound of an inevitable crash in the living room.

There was a cracking noise and suddenly all that could be heard in the house was the sound of Alex’s voice, “ _Fuck!_ ”

“Shit,” Eggsy mumbled under his breath. He stepped to the side just in time for Alex to come crashing into the kitchen, hair in a mess and sleep still written all over his face.

“What the fuck was that?”

Jamal looked down at the ground, embarrassed but also biting back laughter, “Sorry, bruv. If Eggsy could catch half as good as he can run it wouldn’t’ve been a probl’m.”

“Oh yea?” Eggsy shot back with a laugh, “If you could throw worth shit none-a this woulda-”

Alex cut them both off, “Y’know what? I don’t really give a fuck,” he ran his hands through his hair, “I’m going upstairs. Don’t burn the fuckin’ house down.”

As he disappeared upstairs, Jamal turned to Eggsy with a laugh. “Wonderful bedside manner, that one,” he said with an amused glint in his eyes.

Eggsy laughed and shook his head, “Aight, I’m jumpin’ in the shower and knockin’ out. I’ll see ya in the morning.”

Jamal gave him a quick, one-armed hug, “See ya. Thanks for the run, bruv.”

“Sure thing. I’m goin’ again in the mornin’ if ya wanna come with.”

Jamal laughed and shook his head, “Fuck that. I’ll be here when you get back.”

 

By the time Eggsy landed on his street after his morning run, the sky was just turning to it’s light blue color after sunrise, which Eggsy couldn’t ever see very well thanks to a conveniently placed house directly across the street from him. That was part of what made morning runs so great. It was calming for him to be able to watch the world change colors as he ran through it.

He stopped in the middle of the road, right between his house and Harry’s. The man hadn’t been there for what, two weeks was it? And Eggsy was itching for an excuse to talk to him. All the lights in the house were still off, so he assumed that Harry was still asleep. He sauntered up to the man’s mailbox, looking up and down the road as if someone was about to come out and catch him, before opening it and taking two envelops out. He didn’t want to take _all_ the mail, but only taking one letter seemed like it would be just as suspicious. He quickly shut it and jogged back across the street, gathering up the mail from his own mailbox as he went.

When he walked in he went straight back to the kitchen and tossed the pile of mail on the table. He set Harry’s to the side to take back later and leafed through to see if anything had come for him. He was getting to the bottom of the pile when he saw a letter from the college addressed to him. He took a deep breath and effortlessly peeled open the envelope. The letter was a generic one, stating that his course schedule could no longer be changed and that they couldn’t wait to have him as a student in the Fall. He rolled his eyes, crumpling up the letter and throwing it in the trash. His distaste for school wasn’t due to a lack of knowledge, he’d always been good with his academics, but something about it just didn’t sit well with him. He was doing the right thing though, wasn’t he?

His thoughts were cut short by Alex fumbling his way into the kitchen, half blind and mostly asleep. He hated when he had to work morning shifts. He had no idea how Eggsy was able to be up and greet the day with that fucking grin every morning.

“You look ready to take on the day, bruv,” Eggsy said with a laugh as he leaned back in his chair.

Alex glared at him as he poured himself a strong cup of coffee, “I don’t wanna hear it, aight?”

Eggsy held his hands up as a sign of surrender and didn’t push it. Not that he had to, his amused smirk as Alex haphazardly got dressed for work said more than any wise-ass remark ever could. “You workin’ all day?”

Alex nodded, a beyond-bitter expression on his face, “Two people called out today. I’ll be home after ten.”

“Wan’ me to swing by with anythin’?” Eggsy did feel bad, even if he didn’t show it very well.

“Nah, I’ll be fine once I’m there. Thanks though,” and with that, he headed out the door.

Eggsy let the early morning hours tick on by. He showered, ate, and actually cleaned up downstairs a bit all before his other two roommates managed to pull themselves out of bed. All the while he kept glancing at the few letters on the far end of the table, addressed to his neighbor. His curiosity finally got the best of him and he looked to see who they were from. As he read the return addresses on them, however, he realized that it wasn’t so much _who_ they were from, but _where_. Christ alive one of the letters was from Spain, and the other from the United States. No wonder he dropped off, he was going halfway around the fucking globe.

He cast a glance at the clock on the stove. 10:45. That’s late enough in the morning to head over to Harry’s, right? Especially if he has a reason. Granted, it might be a reason that Eggsy created, but it’s a reason regardless. He didn’t think to change out of the tank-top and old, slightly torn and frayed shorts he was wearing as he gathered up the mail and bounded out of the house.

He stopped in front of Harry’s door, rehearsing the simple lie over in his head one more time before giving a couple quick knocks. He waited for a moment and can hear muffled movements coming from inside the house.

Harry opened the door, surprised but pleased to see Eggsy on his front landing once again, this time, sober and much less flustered and panicked. Harry spent a moment or two just looking at the boy in front of him. He’d never been a huge fan of the backwards cap movement, but Eggsy certainly did make him consider changing his mind on that. 

His admiration got cut short, though, as Eggsy’s jaw dropped and all formalities slipped the boy’s mind. “Fuckin’ Hell, Harry,” he looked shocked and worried, and slightly impressed underneath all that, “what ‘appened to your face?”

“Hmm?” he momentarily forgot the mark left by the one lucky shot the security guard got in on him, “Oh,” he chuckled and gently touched his fingertips to the bruise rounding the outer edge of his right eye, “it’s nothing, really.”

“Bruv,” Eggsy couldn’t take his eyes off of him, “your face is _literally_ a different color. That’s not ‘nothing’.”

Harry smiled good-naturedly and shook his head, dismissing the subject for the time being, “Is there something I can help you with?”  
Eggsy looked at him for a moment, the expression on his face letting Harry know he hadn’t got away from answering the question, “Nah, not really. But, the post got mixed up,” he held out the two letters, “There were in my mailbox this morning when I got back from my run. Figured you’d want ‘em.”

Harry fought back an impish grin. In all the years that he had been living on their street, in the very house he was standing in, never once had the postman ever mixed up his mail with anyone else’s. It always arrived intact and on time. But despite knowing all that, Harry played along. He delicately took the letters into his own hands, “Ah, yes, thank you. Wouldn’t want these getting lost.”

“I couldn’t help but notice,” Eggsy would be damned if he let this conversation die too quickly, without learning at least what happened to Harry’s eye, “One of ‘em’s from Spain?”

Harry nodded, but didn’t say anything more.

“That where ya been for the past few weeks?” Fuck. Eggsy internally kicked himself into the next century for that. He could’ve said anything, maybe asking if he had friends or family, or fuck even if some of his work was there. But no, all those things were too smooth and normal. Eggsy had to dive right on in and put it out there that not only did he notice Harry’s absence, he was curious about it, when he hardly knew the man.

Harry fought to not let his smile grow too wide, “As a matter of fact, yes” he paused for a beat, “Do you want to come in, Eggsy?”

His cheeks instantly turned pink, “I mean, if you’ve got places ta be or things ta do...” he nervously adjusted his hat.

“I’ve got the day off, actually,” Harry’s smile was sincere as he opened the door a little wider, “Come on in.”

Eggsy made no attempt to hide his childish grin as he strolled into Harry’s house. This time he could actually look around and have some idea of what he was seeing. The night he spent passed out on the man’s couch was mostly a blur. The morning he remember just fine, but anything before that was questionable at best. He kicked his sneakers off once the door shut behind them, leaving them on the mat just to the side of the door. Harry caught himself smiling a bit at that.

He followed Harry into the kitchen, seating himself in the same stool at the counter he was in not too long before. He found himself nervously picking at the frayed hems of his shorts as Harry went around to the other side of the counter. He offered Eggsy a cup of tea, which the boy politely declined.

“I could go for a glass of water, though.”

Harry nodded, “Water it is, then.”

He set the glass down in front of Eggsy, taking a sip of his tea. He waited a few moments for the boy so say something, after all he’d made an excuse to come over in the first place. Harry figured there was something weighing on him.

“So what brought ya over ta Spain?”

“Just some things for work,” Harry was used to skirting around this conversation; he’d done it a million times.

“That how you got the shiner?” Eggsy gestured towards the bruise before taking a sip of his water.

He couldn’t help the smirk on his face, “Maybe.”

“What do you do?” he just came out with it, “I mean. I fig’red you had some boring nine ta five, but apparently not.”

Harry shrugged, “I do a few different things at my job. Some require travel, some require-”

“Gettin’ punched in the face?” Eggsy laughed, “D’you turn into Bond after-hours or somfin?”

Harry couldn’t for the life of him win the fight of keeping a straight face around the boy, “I’d tell you, but then I’d definitely have to kill you.” He searched Eggsy’s face for a moment, “What about you though, Eggsy? Last time I saw you, you had quite the little head wound, yourself.”

“Oh,” he laughed nervously, “ _that_. Just a rough run-in with a couple blokes. No big deal, really.”

“Show up drunk on their doorstep too?” he replied cheekily.

Eggsy forced a smile and shook his head, “Nah, I wish it was that simple.”

A protective feeling pulled at the back of Harry’s mind. He didn’t want ot say anything, though, not until he knew what was going on. “Everything alright?”

“Fer now, yea. It’s kind of a day-by-day thing with them.”

Harry couldn’t take his eyes off the boy’s face. The mischievous glint in his beautiful green eyes was gone, flickered out as soon as Harry had asked him the question. He made a mental note to just sack up and ask Merlin about security detail. Worst that could happen is that he’d say no. He swallowed his concern and attempted to keep things as light-hearted as possible, “Well, seems like you’ve handled the days better since our last run-in.”

Eggsy cracked a smile, “I’d be worried if I handled them any worse.”

“Room for improvement?” Harry offered with a small smile.

A laugh escaped him, “Plenty-a that.”

Eggsy’s phone started ringing, and annoyance showed clear on his face as he looked to see who was calling him. Frustration instantly transformed into concern when he saw his mom’s name flash across the screen. He looked at Harry, “Mind if I…? It’s me mum.”

Harry nodded, “By all means.”

He had expected the boy to step outside, or into another room. But Eggsy stayed planted on the counter stool as he slid his finger across the screen and lifted the phone to his ear, eyes darting around nervously, “Mum? Everything alright?”

Harry pursed his lips together, wondering why that was the first reaction to someone answering a phone call from their mother. He couldn’t hear the other half of the conversation, but as Eggsy took his hat off and anxiously pulled at his hair, Harry could only imagine the worst.

“I’ll be there in ten, Mum, okay?” Eggsy hopped off the stool, “No, I’ll be there I promise. Be safe and I’ll see you soon. Love you,” he ended the call and looked apologetically at Harry, “Sorry, bruv, I really gotta go.”

Harry couldn’t stop himself, he rested his hand on the boy’s shoulder, “Eggsy, I want you to be honest with me, are you alright?”

The concerned look on Harry’s face made Eggsy forget for a moment that he was talking to someone who was practically a complete stranger. Eggsy sighed, “It’s a long story. I got this, though. Sorry to run out.” He went back to the front door and slipped his sneakers on. He said another quick sorry and goodbye to Harry before sprinting down the road. Harry couldn’t even try to fathom what had the boy spooked so bad. He seemed like someone who never got nervous.

“Merlin,” he waited a beat, “I need a favor.”

He heard the groan from his theoretical right hand, “I swear, Harry, if it’s about that damn kid…”

“ _Merlin_ ,” Harry wasn’t in the mood for sarcasm, “I’m asking for a few minutes of your time right now, _please_ give it to me.”

Merlin rolled his eyes but silently waited to hear Harry’s request.

“Can you pull up the feed on the tracker I just put on him and stream it on my tablet?”

Merlin sighed and shook his head, Harry’s gall never ceased to amaze him. “You’re really above this permission thing now, aren’t you?”

“It’s one tracker and I’ll get it back. Just help me out,” he paused, “Please.”

Merlin cursed Harry out inside his head, but did as he was asked. As Harry watched the little green dot that was Eggsy travel across the screen of his tablet, he saw that Eggsy was heading towards the park.

 

Eggsy skidded to a stop on the far end of the park, where he found his mother waiting, looking worried as all Hell as she perched Daisy on her hip.

“What’s going on?” Eggsy tried to speak and catch his breath at the same time.

“Eggsy, I just, I’m so worried. Things have just been so-”

But Eggsy didn’t hear the rest of her sentence. The breeze blew her hair back out of her face, and he could see her cheek already starting to turn color. Everything went red for a moment before his mother’s voice reined him back in.

“Eggsy,” her voice was stern, but still had a tremor to it, “Eggsy listen to me. I need you to take Daisy for the night.”

Eggsy would keep Daisy by his side forever to protect her if he could, but he knew how this situation was going to end if he did. “Mum, you really think that that’s the best idea? He’ll kill you both if he finds out she’s with me.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“ _Mum_ ,” Eggsy hated using a harsh tone with his own mother but he couldn’t bite it back this time, “I need you to tell me exactly what happened. Is he following you here right now?”

Eggsy told his mother than she needed to take Daisy and go, get as far away from him as humanly possible before Dean showed up, but the warning was too late. A hand gripped the boy’s shoulder and whipped him around. It was early in the afternoon but Eggsy could smell the alcohol plain and clear on Dean’s breath as the man shouted into his face.

“Did she fuckin’ tell you to come ‘ere?” he lifted Eggsy by the collar.

Fear was plain and clear on the boy’s face but his voice stayed steady, “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talkin’ about.”

There was a cracking sound as Dean’s hand came right across Eggsy’s cheek. Michelle screamed, only to be silenced by Dean yelling at her. He returned his attention to the boy in front of him, “What the fuck are you doing here then?” he shook Eggsy, “And _don’t_ fuckin’ lie to me.”

Eggsy locked Dean in a glare that could’ve killed someone. His fists were clenched tight by his sides, “I told her to come meet me here ‘cause I wanted to see her and Daisy,” he leaned forward as much as he dared, “Been missin’ ‘em lately thanks ta you.”

Dean clocked him again and Eggsy couldn’t bite back his pain, which came out in a strangled scream. “The fuck you think you are talkin’ to me like that?”

Despite trying to hold them back, tears trickled down Eggsy’s cheeks. His face was as angry as ever. “The fuck ya gonna do about it, Dean? Huh? Kill me?” his eyes were stone-cold, “Do it.”

Dean threw the boy to the ground and gave him one hard kick to the stomach. Eggsy grit his teeth and fought back what would’ve been a heart-wrenching scream of pain. Michelle stepped forward to help him but Dean stopped her before she could.

“Don’t even _think_ about it,” he snarled, “I’m not done with you.”

“Eggsy!” she yelled back as Dean dragged her away.

The young boy forced himself into a kneeling position, just short of sobbing as he shook his head, “Just go, Mum. Do what he says. Take care-a Daisy.” He fought to be able to breathe, but every time he got air into his lungs he was rewarded with a shooting pain throughout his chest. He rested his hands on his knees and leaned forward, shutting his eyes tight as tears ran down his face.

 

Harry listened in absolute horror. He’d had no idea what Eggsy’s familial situation was like. Granted, he still didn’t, but he knew enough at this point to want to do something, more than simply offering a listening ear to the boy when he felt compelled to talk. He gnawed at the inside of his cheek as he tried to come up with a plan that would help everyone involved.

“Harry,” Merlin’s voice was firm but somber, “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but whatever you do, be careful.”

“I can’t do nothing,” he ran his fingers through his hair, “There must be _something_.”

“We can’t fix everything.”

 _“But we should be able to fix this,”_ Harry thought silently to himself. He sighed, “Galahad signing off.”

Merlin wanted to say something more, but he knew it was a losing battle for the moment. “Merlin, signing off.”

Harry fought the urge to throw his tablet across the room. He knew it wouldn’t remedy the situation in the slightest but he just had so much anger. This boy that he hardly knew was going through all of this and Harry felt an innate need to fix it all. He didn’t know what that entailed, though, not yet.

 

Eggsy slowly made his way home, not able to go too fast since he could still hardly breathe. It was only one kick but it was harder than any other one the man had landed on him in the past. Eggsy fished around in his pockets for his house key but came up dry. He groaned, his day really could not get any worse.

He banged on the door over and over until Jamal opened it, the young man’s jaw dropping as he took in the sight of Eggsy. “Eggsy,” he shut the door behind them, “What happened?”

He shook his head, “Don’t wanna talk about it.”

“I don’t think that really matters right now, bruv,” concern was all over Jamal’s face, “We needa get you looked at or somethin’.”

“No, I’m fine, alright?”

“Alex is gonna lose his shit.”

“Alex can go piss inta the wind fer all I care right now, aight?”

Jamal knew better than to keep pushing. “Need anythin’?”

Eggsy slowly leaned back, wincing as he stretched out on the couch, “Ice?”

“You got it,” his roommate dashed into the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer.

Eggsy laid it on his ribcage where Dean had kicked him. It stung at first but after a little while the pain subsided and the whole area became numb. Jamal wanted to help but he also knew that Eggsy wasn’t going to want him standing over him doting on him for the rest of the night. He left with a kind, “Let me know if you need me,” and went upstairs to his room.

Eggsy laid there and stared up at the ceiling, trying to figure out how it all got to be the way it was. It didn’t seem fair. Sure, there was the whole “Life isn’t fair,” trope, but his life seemed to exceed that in monumentous proportions. He closed his eyes and tried to relax as much as he could until he had to deal with the next round of questioning when Alex got home.


	5. Chapter 5

He woke up the next morning, still stretched across the couch. For a few precious moments the events of the previous day just seemed like a bad dream, but as he went to get up off the couch, reality set in as a piercing pain shot through him.

“Fuck,” he grumbled under his breath as he stood up.

He made his way to the bathroom, telling himself that before he was forced to interact with the real world he needed a nice long, hot shower. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and his eyes widened. If Jamal thought he looked rough yesterday, he had no idea of what he was in for now. The swelling wasn’t as bad as he thought it’d be, thankfully. Bruises could make him seem tough if he told the story right. (He’d definitely make up a story to tell people because they sure as _Hell_ weren’t going to get the truth out of him.) He gingerly touched the large black and blue mark that crept up his cheek and around his eye. On the right side of his face the bruise stretched from the side of his forehead to his temple, and could be covered if he was careful enough.

The hot water from the shower hit his shoulders and rolled down his back. He leaned against the cool tiles and shut his eyes, feeling like he wanted to sleep for the next few centuries. He gently scrubbed the dirt away, cleaning out the minor scrapes on his knees from when Dean had thrown him to the ground. He tried his hardest not to look at the bruise left by Dean’s boot. The ones on his face were at least a dark color, the kind that they always showed in the movies he and his roommates always watched. But the one that stretched across his stomach and wound up the lower part of his ribcage was as much green and yellow as it was purple. He was silently thankful that the worst-looking one would be covered all the time and that no one would really see it, including him. He knew Jamal was right: he should probably get it looked at. He wouldn’t, though. They both knew that.

Eggsy must’ve been in the shower for longer than he thought, because there was a pounding on the bathroom door followed by Alex’s voice. “London’s running outta water, bruv,” there was laughter to it, and Eggsy could only assume that that meant Alex went straight to bed and didn’t see him last night.

When he came back downstairs, he tried his hardest to avoid eye contact with everyone. Try as he might, nothing could mentally prepare him for the onslaught of questions he was about to receive. They’d seen him banged up before sure enough, but this was worse than anything they’d ever experienced with him.

“Surprised you weren’t up before the ass-crack of dawn, mate,” Alex laughed.

Eggsy chuckled, waiting for his roommate to turn around and commence the inevitable freak-out. Alex hadn’t changed into real clothes yet, walking around the house shirtless in just a pair of basketball shorts. His hair stuck up in every direction even after his fingers ran through it a couple times.

“So how was work?” Eggsy hoped that if he acted like everything was fine, his roommate wouldn’t have as bad of a crisis.

“Oh, y’know, same stupid shit everyda-” he stopped short as he took in the sight of the blonde boy in front of him. He looked him over for a moment, his concern very quickly turning to anger. He slammed his coffee mug on the table and turned towards the door without hesitation, “I’m gonna fuckin’ kill that bastard I fuckin’ swear.”

He was pulling on his sneakers when Eggsy got to him, pulling on the boy’s arm. “Alex, don’t, aight? It’s fine, it’s over and done with.”

“How? Did _you_ kill him?”

“Bruv,” Eggsy attempted to sigh, momentarily forgetting that his breathing was hindered, and winced as he put his hand on his side.

Concern flooded back into Alex’s face again, brown eyes softening just enough to let Eggsy know it wasn’t him that Alex was angry with. “Lemme see,” his voice was soft.

Eggsy shook his head, “It’s nothin’.”

“I don’t believe you,” there was no room in his tone for bullshit.

Eggsy looked anywhere but his roommate’s face as he lifted his shirt enough for Alex to see the bruise.

“That’s it,” Alex’s voice was definitive, “We’re taking you to the doctor. And then we’re taking you to the police station.”

“ _What_? That’s a bit much, innit?”

“Eggsy, look at yourself, mate. You wan’ him doin’ this shit to your mum and Daisy?”

Anger flashed across the boy’s face, “You know I’d never-”

“Then go to the fuckin’ cops,” Alex cut him off.

The tension in the air was thick enough to be cut with a knife. So of course that was the exact moment that Ryan fumbled down the stairs. He saw the look on Alex’s face, only being able to see the back of Eggsy’s head.

“What’re you two girls fightin’ over now?”

“ _Nothing_ ,” they both snapped.

The hostility in their voices beat Ryan back into submission, “Aight, sorry I asked.”

Alex let his body relax, tension melting off his face, “Sorry, bruv. Didn’t mean ta get at you like that. Unwin’s just bein’ a right fuckin’ pain in the ass.”

“When’s he not?”

“Oi,” Eggsy turned around, “don’t give me that shit, mate.”

Ryan’s eyes nearly popped out of his head, “ _Shit_ , Eggsy.”

“I know,” Eggsy grit his teeth, “I look like shit. That’s three for three.”

Before Alex could ask, Jamal came out into the living room, trying to figure out the scene in front of him. “Alex,” he tried to keep things as light as he could, “I get you might want Eggsy to get checked out, but at least put a shirt on first, bruv.”

“You knew?”

“He was here when I got home,” Eggsy jumped in to his defense, “There was no point in calling you since there wasn’t nothin’ to do about it.”

The four of them stood there, not quite sure where they were supposed to take the situation from that point. They all knew what they thought should be done but it wasn’t very likely that any of those things would happen. Getting Eggsy to do something he didn’t want to was damn near impossible.

“Can we just drop it for right now?” he finally said, “Yesterday was Hell and I’d really like to just try and screw my head back on straight.”

There was a tense pause but finally Alex kicked his shoes off and went back to the kitchen, jaw clenched tight. Eggsy let out a small sigh of relief before following suit.

 

Harry all but burst into Merlin’s office, fueled by remnants of anger and a lack of a good night’s rest. The sound of the door smacking off the concrete wall nearly made the man fall out of his chair.

He pulled the microphone away from his mouth so he wouldn’t be shouting into the ear of the agent he was assisting, “What’s wrong with you? Since when don’t you _knock_?” he paused, “You look like Hell, Harry.”

“Didn’t sleep,” he answered with a shrug, looking everywhere that wasn’t directly at Merlin.

“You’re driving yourself mad,” there was the slightest hint of concern in the man’s voice.

Harry finally looked over at him, “I can’t fathom why someone would treat their child that way, Merlin. Or their wife. That whole situation just grates right on my nerves.”

“Like I said, you need to be careful about what you do.”

“What do you think I _should_ do?” he collapsed into one of the free chairs in Merlin’s office, “Because I don’t know.”

“You’re not going to like it,” he told Harry honestly, “But I think that for the most part you should just let it lie.”

“ _What_?”

“I told you you weren’t going to like it.”

“You can’t really expect me to just let this man continue with that behavior?”

“What’s getting me about this is that normally there would be no hesitation. It’s not your job to save every green-eyed sob-story you stumble across.”

“Something’s different about this one,” his face turned pensive, “I just don’t know what it is.”

“Until you figure that out, I wouldn’t do anything.”

“You’re looking for any excuse to stall me, aren’t you?”

“Guilty,” it wasn’t that Merlin didn’t care about what the kid was going through. He wasn’t heartless, after all. But he knew next to nothing about what was going on, and Harry was in the same boat.

Harry took a deep breath before getting up and walking towards the door.

“Shut it gently, if you could be that kind,” Merlin called after him.

Harry rolled his eyes but did as he was asked, letting the door fall closed with a light clicking sound. He made his way to his own office, where some final paperwork about his latest mission was waiting to be filled out. He would’ve done it yesterday, but when Eggsy turned up on his doorstep he couldn’t bring himself to turn the boy away. Looking back now it was serendipitous in a very odd way.

Once the last of it was signed, sealed, and off to be delivered, Harry made his way to the shop. It was the only place he could be and not have to be mindful of what exactly was going on. The day was a slow one, and thank heavens for that. Harry’s mind at any given point was only one-third on the task at hand. Luckily no one else in the shop questioned his behavior. After all, stranger things had happened.

He was walking home that night, umbrella tucked neatly under his arm, when he saw Eggsy sitting across the street on his front steps. There was a cigarette between the boy’s lips, smoke curling up into the evening air. His eyes were locked on the ground trapped deep in thought. Part of Harry wanted to go over and say something, but he also didn’t know how to act like he didn’t know anything about what had happened the day before. He hadn’t wrapped his head around it enough. He looked at Eggsy for a few moments longer before forcing himself to go inside.

 

Eggsy snubbed his cigarette out on the step next to him, enough to put it out but kept it intact enough to slide behind his ear. He let out one last inhale, surrounding himself for a few moments in a cloud of pale grey smoke.

He hadn’t realized how late it was until the streetlamps flickered to life. He looked around, the sun had all but disappeared behind his house. He sighed and stood up slowly, wanting so badly to stretch but knowing that it would come at a painful price for a good while. He settled for rolling his neck and shoulders a few times before going back inside.

His three roommates were camped out in the living room, all in their own little worlds. Eggsy went upstairs, grabbing his hat and pulling a hoodie down over his t-shirt before snatching his pocketknife from his nightstand. He looked at it for a few moments, wondering if he really wanted to take it with him or not. He came to the conclusion that at that point it couldn’t hurt to be too careful. He slipped it in his pocket before walking back downstairs. He carefully pulled his flatbrim on, covering most of one of his bruises.

“I’m headin’ out,” he called to his friends.

Alex looked at him curiously but didn’t say anything. Jamal wasn’t so passive. “Where you gonna go lookin’ like that?”

Eggsy shrugged, “Beats me. But I’ve been cooped up all day. I can’t stand it.”

“Want one of us to go with?”

He shook his head, “It’s aight, thanks. I’ve got my phone if you need me.” Before anyone else could speak up, he swung the door open and went out.

He didn’t really pay attention to where he was walking; he just let his feet take him where they saw best fit. He looked up at the stars, wishing harder than ever to be as far away from that town as they were. He idly kicked a pebble between his feet as he continued to stroll through town.

When he finally stopped to take a break, he found himself at the park. Not the one he had been in the day before, but one on the opposite side of town. It was the same park that his mom always used to take him to when he was little. He wandered his way over to the swings. He couldn’t help himself as he sat down and gently swung himself, looking up at the stars the whole time. A few times a week his mom would bring him there when the weather was nice. He’d run around like a mad man, and she would watch and smile and laugh, happy that he was happy. Eggsy smiled at the somewhat foggy memories.

After a few minutes, he pulled the cigarette out from behind his ear. There was still a good half of it left. He reached into his pocket for a lighter. He fought with the wind for a minute or so before finally succeeding in getting a spark. If he was honest by that point he wasn’t even sure if he still wanted to smoke the damn thing. He wasn’t a frequent smoker, just when he was really stressed. Needless to say, the past twenty-four hours had put him through more stress than he really cared for.

There was the sound of running feet on the concrete path that ran through the park. It wasn’t uncommon for people in his town to go running after dark, Eggsy himself had done it on multiple occasions. There were less people to get in your way and less cars to look for on the road. He paid no mind to it and didn’t notice when the footsteps stopped, either.

“Hey,” a soft voice came fluttering through the air.

Eggsy whipped his head around, nearly getting caught in the chain of the swing. He saw a girl’s silhouette near the lamppost, but couldn’t make out who it was for the life of him. “Hello?”

She walked over closer to him, and after he did a bit of mental searching, he was able to figure out where he knew the girl from. She looked different with her hair tied back and in running clothes instead of her delivery uniform. But it was her alright. Same dark brown eyes and long blonde hair.

“Anna,” she offered with a small smile before sitting on the swing next to his.

Eggsy nodded, “I remember,” he paused, “Kinda ballsy runnin’ alone after dark, innit?”

She laughed, “Why? ‘Cos I’m a girl?”

“For anyone, really,” he offered with a smile.

“What’re you doing here, anyway?” she countered in a playful tone, “Lookin’ a bit like a creep, to be honest.”

Eggsy couldn’t help but to laugh a bit at that, “Just hadda get out and clear my head.”

“You live on the other side of town. You must have quite the foggy mind.”

He smiled at her comment but had to ask, “How do you remember where I live? They must run you dozens of places.”

“Stellar memory,” there wasn’t a bit of hesitation in her answer. She flashed him a grin and the both of them laughed. As her eyes adjusted better to the dark, she noticed the discoloration on his face. “You alright?”

“Yea, why?”

She gestured to his cheek but didn’t say anything. He nodded, “Oh, that. It’s fine. Water under the bridge.”

Sensing his discomfort, she strayed from the topic, “What’s your name, anyway?”

“Gary,” he paused, “But my friends call me Eggsy.”

She looked at him curiously, “Eggsy?”

He shook his head, “Don’t ask.”

Her laughter lightened the mood for a few precious moments, “Alright, _Eggsy_. How long you staying here?”

He shrugged, “Not sure. Why?”

“I’ll walk back across town with you, if ya want some comp’ny, seeing as how you’re not much for running alone.”

He smiled at her, “I wasn’t much for _you_ running alone,” he thought about it for a moment, “But I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to go with me.”

“Alright then,” she hopped off her swing, “Let’s go then, shall we?”

He slowly stood up off the swing. Before he could take a step, Anna plucked the cigarette from between his lips with a shake of her head. She put it out on the bottom of her shoe and threw what was left into the trash.

“Bad habit,” she chided him.

He rolled his eyes, “Ain’t a habit.”

“If you say so,” she said with the slightest hint of a smirk playing at her lips.

As they slowly made their way back across town, Anna asked him about things she figured wouldn’t send them into the downward spiral of discomfort. She asked about the boys he was living with and how he knew them, whether he was in school or had a job of some sort. She’d never been much for small talk but they had an awful long way to walk and she didn’t fancy spending it with her foot in her mouth.

“Why ya doin’ this?” Eggsy finally asked her.

“What?”

He motioned back and forth between the two of them, “This.”

She gave a shy smile and shrugged, “I live a couple streets down from you, and you seemed like a decent enough guy when I met you before.”

“Not hard compared to how my roommates handle girls,” he said with a laugh.

“You got nervous,” she stated simply.

He was thankful that she couldn’t see him blushing, “Um, yea, lil bit I s’pose. Wasn’t really expecting to see you there when I opened the door,” he playfully nudged her, “You are much nicer to look at than Mikey, though.”

She chuckled, “Glad to hear it.”

When they got to the intersection at the end of Eggsy’s street, Anna stopped, expecting him to turn and walk down to his house. He looked at her confusedly, not having to say the question his eyes were asking for him.

“Aren’t you gonna go home?”

“The whole point of this was you not walking home alone,” Eggsy said with the smallest hint of a smile, “I’m not gonna bail on ya now.”

Anna smiled as she continued on down the sidewalk. She wasn’t lying when she said she was only a couple streets away from Eggsy and the boys. Two blocks later and she stopped in front of a small two-story house, white with a bright red door. It was the kind of thing Eggsy pictured coming out of a storybook.

“Thanks,” she said as she nervously looked down at her feet.

“Anytime,” he said with a shrug.

The two of them stood there, not really sure how to say goodbye. Eggsy didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, but he also didn’t want to seem distant and rude. He looked at her with raised eyebrows and a confused smirk.

She laughed and shook her head, “I’ll see ya ‘round, Eggsy,” she stepped forward and gave him a quick hug.

“I’ll see ya,” he smiled and waited to make sure that she got into her own house alright. When the door shut behind her, Eggsy turned on his heel and made his way back home.

He walked into the house and everything was silent, save for the sound of Ryan’s snoring leaking through the thin walls of the bedrooms upstairs. Eggsy took a deep breath and hung his hat on the bedpost at the foot of his bed before slowly lowering himself into a laying position. He looked up at the ceiling for a few moments before pulling off his shorts and hoodie and passing out under the blankets in just his t-shirt and boxers.

As the days wore on, the bruises on Eggsy’s face slowly began to fade. Why these ones in particular were so stubborn and determined to hang around was beyond him. But he wanted them gone as soon as humanly possible. He started classes in a few days and he already felt like he was behind the eight ball enough without looking like he had gotten into a bar brawl.

He looked at himself in the mirror for a moment before pulling his shirt on. The bruises on his face were obnoxious, sure, but the one on his stomach was leaving him a little more than worried. He actually contemplated going to get it checked out, but always stopped himself, coming up with a different excuse each time.

Once he finished getting dressed, he made his way downstairs to the front door. “I’m out,” he called to Jamal, who was the only other one home at the time.

“Where you off to?” he called back from the other end of the house.

“I’m goin’ to meet Anna.”

That peeked Jamal’s interest enough to get him up and to the front door, “You two goin’ together mate?”

Eggsy laughed and shook his head, “No, ‘course not.”

“You sure? You been spending a lot of time with her lately.”

That was a fact Eggsy couldn’t really argue. Still, their relationship at that point hadn’t even hinted at being anything more than platonic. “There’s nothin’ going on, bruv. Swear it.”

“Worse things could happen.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes, “I’ll catch ya later.”

 

There were a few knocks on the door. Harry glanced down at his watch. It was almost eleven o’clock at night. He only knew of one person who would be banging on his door that late. He hadn’t talked to Eggsy since the day he left so suddenly, and he felt awful for it. But he hadn’t yet had a reason to run into him.

He adjusted his glasses as he walked over to the door. He opened the door slightly, as if he was questioning of who’d be on his doorstep. His smile when he saw Eggsy only lasted for a moment before he took in the state of the boys injuries.

“Eggsy,” he worked his hardest to sound genuinely surprised, “What happened? Is everything alright?”

Eggsy pushed his hair back out of his face, the rain had made it a bit unruly. “Um, yea. I just, I’m a bit locked out again. None of my roommates are answering their phones. I prob’ly won’t havta stay all night like before but,” he looked over his shoulder for a moment, “I’d really rather not wait in the rain.”

Harry smiled at him, “Of course, of course. Come in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovelies! Hope you've been enjoying this so far.  
> I just wanted to let you all know that I'm currently entering finals season, and so my posting will probably be pretty sporadic for this and my other Kingsman fic (First Time Feeling) but I haven't forgotten about you all! As soon as exams are done I'll be back on schedule.  
> Much love! xox


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick little Harry and Eggsy chapter because I just turned in one of my final essays. Tomorrow is the last day of classes and then it's on to exams. I'll be more or less off the grid till it's over.

Harry walked back out into the living room, a cup of tea in each hand. He gave one to Eggsy, “You sure you’re alright?”

“Yea, why?”

“You look a little worse for wear.”

The boy shrugged, “I’m doin’ okay.”

“Your cheek suggests otherwise.”

“Oh,” he put his hand over the bruise. He’d forgotten about it for a moment. Anna never spoke or asked about it since that one night at the park. Part of him adored her for that. “It’s nothin’.”

Harry gave him a cheeky smile, “Your face is literally a different color. That’s not ‘nothing’.”

Eggsy laughed, impressed that Harry remembered, “Ya got me, ya got me,” he looked down at the cup of tea in his hands, “Jus’ got inta some rough stuff a few days back.”

“Did you get looked at by someone? About your injuries, I mean.”

“Nah. I mean, my roommates’ve been telling me to, but…”

The hesitation in Eggsy’s voice and the discomfort on his face made it very clear as to why he wouldn’t get looked at. But Harry knew the story, and he had to act as though he didn’t.

“What _really_ happened, Eggsy?”

He took a sip of his tea, trying anything to stall for a few more moments. He didn’t want to drag Harry into the depths of how fucked up his life was. “It was just a fight, yea? Got into it with my step-dad.”

“Your _father_ did this to you??”

“ _No_ ,” Eggsy’s voice was angrier than he intended, “Sorry. But no, my _step_ -dad. He came into the picture a few years back. Don’t care much for him.”

“Did he hurt you anywhere else?”

Eggsy tried his best to sound nonchalant, “Got me on the lower part of my ribcage. Nothin’ else though.”

“Is there anything I can do to help? Have you called the police?”

“It ain’t that simple, bruv.”

“Not to be insensitive, but this seems pretty cut and dry.”

“Well it’s not,” Eggsy snapped. Harry looked at him, he would’ve been offended if he weren’t so curious. The boy pressed his lips together for a moment, “It’s just, he’s kinda the only thing keepin’ a roof over me mum’s and sister’s heads right now. He’s a right prick sure enough, but he’s all they’ve got.”

Harry’s heart broke, “I, I’m sorry.”

Eggsy shook his head, “Don’ be. ‘S not your fault.” He shifted slightly to take a bit of pressure off the bruise on his stomach, wincing in the process.

“Can I take a look?”

“You a medic now too, mate?”

“I dabble,” Harry couldn’t help but to smile.

Eggsy laughed but stayed put, “It’s really not that bad,” he lied, “honest.”

“How would you know if you haven’t gotten it looked at? Are you a doctor?”

“Are _you_?” Eggsy countered as one end of his mouth curled up.

“Not officially,” Harry admitted with a chuckle, “But I’m willing to bet I know more than you.”

“I see you like to bet safe.”

“Eggsy, please,” the humor was gone from Harry’s voice, “It’ll put my mind at ease.”

“Can we drop it after this?”

“If you want.”

The young boy nodded before setting his cup on the end table and slowly standing up off the couch. He cringed as he straightened his back. He looked at Harry for a moment before lifting his shirt up just enough to expose the bruise, which had gotten the slightest bit smaller. Eggsy couldn’t force himself to look at the pitying look on Harry’s face as he inspected the mark.

Harry’s eyes widened as he looked at the bruise. He figured that it’d be mostly gone by this point, but Dean must’ve gotten the boy harder than Harry assumed. He delicately traced over it with his fingertips, and Eggsy flinched slightly at the contact.

“Sorry,” Harry mumbled.

“It’s alright,” Eggsy forced himself to look anywhere but down at Harry. Goosebumps rose all over his skin despite Harry’s house being perfectly warm.

Harry put the slightest bit of pressure on the ribs the bruise managed to reach. Eggsy grit his teeth and fought back a few curse words. He felt the boy tense up, “I know it’s unpleasant. But,” he leaned back on the couch, “Nothing is broken. Probably bruised your floating ribs, but you’re still very much in one piece, inside and out.”

Eggsy let his shirt drop back down and sat on the couch. He didn’t really know what else there was so say besides thank you, so he settled for that. In desperate need to change the topic, he tried to pick Harry’s brain about his job once again. He still didn’t have the slightest clue as to what the man really did for a living. He knew it required travel, occasional violence, and apparently medical skills. He was thoroughly convinced that Harry really was a real-life James Bond, but the man never gave him much of an inkling one way or the other. It was maddening to say the least.

“What about you though, Eggsy?” Harry set his empty cup down, “What do you do on the days you don’t wind up on my stoop? And why don’t you keep a key attached to you?”

The boy cracked a smile and shrugged, “Well now I don’t needa worry if I can just come over,” he smiled, “Nah, but honestly I normally do. Slipped my mind this afternoon when I left, though,” he paused, “But in answer to your other question, I’m starting classes at Uni soon.”

“Really? What are you studying?”

“No fuckin’ clue,” Eggsy laughed, “I’ll figure it out as I go along.”

“It’ll be good for you,” Harry smiled, “Keep you out of trouble, maybe?”

“Maybe. Trouble always seems to find me.”

“And you, it,” Harry retorted.

“Aight, so it’s a two-way street, then,” he rolled his eyes and laughed, “Whatever.”

Eggsy had planned to check every now and again to see if at least one of his roommates had gotten home, but he was so wrapped up in conversation with Harry that he lost all track of time. He had his feet curled up underneath him and a blanket slung across his shoulders as he listened to Harry tell stories of his own days in college.

Harry sat on the opposite end of the couch from the boy, and couldn’t keep the smile off of his face. Eggsy looked so innocent, and for a little while Harry saw past the bruises. His eyes sparkled with interest as he took in every word that Harry was telling him. Harry found himself sitting cross-legged with his hands rested in his lap, reaching back in his memory banks and finding stories that he, himself had almost forgotten about. Whenever he talked to Eggsy, he found himself being open about things that he hadn’t spoken to anyone about in so long. At the agency he had his friends, of course, but there was an unspoken assumption that they kept their personal and professional lives as separate as possible. More for safety reasons than anything else, but it did put a barrier of sorts between everyone. But with Eggsy, it was the exact opposite. He didn’t breathe a word about what he did for a living, but the rest of his life was fair game. It was almost therapeutic in a way. For a little while he could pretend that he was a normal person, not part of a top secret world security agency.

As if on cue, his phone rang. Harry sighed as he reached to see who it was that was calling him, as if he needed to guess. Merlin’s name flashed across the screen. Harry’s brow furrowed, “Sorry, Eggsy, but I need to take this.”

“By all means, bruv,” he smiled.

Harry stood up and walked into the kitchen as he put the phone up to his ear, “Merlin, what on earth could you be calling about at,” he glanced down at his watch, “one-thirty in the morning?”

“Your next mission,” Merlin never seemed to sound tired, even though no one knew when the man ever found time to sleep, “We need you on base by seven AM tomorrow.”

Harry ran his free hand back through his hair, “Alright, tell Arthur I’ll be there first thing.”

“Confirmed,” Merlin smiled to himself, “And you’re welcome for using a phone and not forcing you to awkwardly explain anything to your new friend there about why you’re talking into your spectacles.” Harry didn’t dignify the comment with a response. Merlin chuckled, “Didn’t know you had a thing for blondes, Galahad.”

“Goodbye, Merlin.”

“See you tomorrow,” and there was a click to end the call.

Harry adjusted his glasses as he walked back out into the living room. Sleep was beginning to weigh on Eggsy as he leaned back with his eyes closed. Harry wanted to invite him to stay over again, seeing as how he was halfway there already, but he didn’t want to be up and gone by the time Eggsy woke.

“Everything alright?” Eggsy opened his eyes and attempted to look more alert than he felt.

Harry nodded, “Yes. That was work,” he smiled as he saw Eggsy’s face light up with curiosity, “turns out I’ve got an early day tomorrow.”

“They decided to tell you that at one in the morning?”

Harry chuckled, “They’re not the most considerate lot all the time, I’ll admit.”

Eggsy slowly untangled himself from his blanket and draped it back over the couch before standing up. “Well, guess I should let you get some sleep before you head off on your next world-saving, James Bond mission.”

Harry chuckled as he walked with Eggsy to the front door, “That’s kind of you.”

“I gotta ask, bruv,” Eggsy let slip a mischievous smile, “Since you’re 007, you get a lot of Bond Girls?” Harry laughed but the boy continued, “I’m just askin’ ‘cos a classy bloke like you must just be a fuckin’ magnet or-”

“Eggsy,” Harry’s voice was soft and full of amusement, “In all honesty I’ve never been one for Bond Girls. The whole idea of it seems a little, empty, to me.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes as he stepped out onto the porch, “That’s what you _say_ , Harry. But I get it, I get it. Gotta keep your cover, yea?”

Harry smiled, “Goodnight, Eggsy.”

“I’ll see ya round, ‘Arry,” Eggsy turned, a small wave of relief washed over him as he saw one of the upstairs lights in his house on.

As he went to walk away, Harry reached forward and lightly touched the boy’s arm, “Hold on.”

Eggsy turned around with a curious smile, “Yea?”

“Where’s your phone?”

He pulled it out of his pocket, accidentally slipping his knife out and onto the ground in the process. He handed the phone to Harry, “Here, why?” he calmly knelt down and put his knife away again.

Harry typed away on it for a moment before placing it back in Eggsy’s hand, closing the boy’s fingers around it, “I want you to call me if you ever find yourself in trouble, okay?”

“What if you’re on vacation in Spain with your Bond Girl?” he replied with a smug grin.

Harry rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless, “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. In the meantime though, if you need me, you can reach me at that number, alright?”

As confused as Eggsy was with their whole dynamic, he was grateful. It was nice to have someone on the outside of things seeming genuinely concerned. “Thanks bruv, I appreciate it.”

“Of course. Now, stay out of trouble. I don’t want to be getting a phone call tomorrow.”

“Rule of thumb is to wait three days,” Eggsy laughed.

A smirk found its way onto Harry’s face, “Yes, well, don’t go out of your way to have to use it.”

“Thanks, Harry,” he smiled and waited a moment before turning and making his way down the walk.

“Oh, and Eggsy,” the man called after him.

“Yea?”

“I wouldn’t bring _that_ ,” he gestured to his pocket where the knife was, “to class next week. Might not got over too well.”

Eggsy laughed, “Noted.”

He strolled back across the street, knocking loudly on the front door until one of his roommates opened it. Harry could tell by the look on the tired boy’s face that he was probably scolding Eggsy about constantly forgetting his keys. Eggsy’s shoulders rose and fell before he stepped into the house, kicking the door closed behind him without a backwards glance.

Harry sighed as he slowly shut his door and locked it. He took his glasses off, massaging the bridge of his nose. This boy was going to test him. He didn’t know how exactly, but he felt himself slowly beginning to slip in over his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I might not see your feedback and such right away, but I will read it all don't worry. xox


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got one final out of the way. That deserves publishing a chapter, right?

Eggsy padded down the stairs as quietly as he could so as not to wake everyone up. It was day one of classes and he had hardly gotten to sleep the night before. He knew that in reality he didn’t have much to be worried about, after all it was everyone’s first day, but that did little to calm his nerves. He made himself a cup of coffee before grabbing his backpack and heading towards the door.

“Ay bruv,” Alex’s tired voice came from the top of the stairway.

Eggsy looked up, fighting back a laugh at the sight of the boy in front of him, “Yea?”

“Good luck today,” he tossed something down and Eggsy quickly reached forward and closed his fingers around it.

His eyes widened, “Yea?”

Alex laughed, “Yea. Don’t get too attached though. It’s just for today. Think of it as a good luck charm.”

“You’re the gov’ner.”

“I know,” he nodded towards the door, “Now go, and don’t be late. And be nice to your professors.”

“Yes, Mum. I’ll be sure to do all that,” Eggsy nodded with a smirk as he walked out the door, car keys dangling from his one hand, travel mug full of coffee in the other. For a few precious moments he felt like he was an adult, like he was really in control of his own life.

He looked at the screen of his phone as he walked onto campus. He knew what class he had first, but he couldn’t remember what building or classroom it was in. He scrolled through his schedule on his phone until he finally found the listing for it. He nodded before doing a total 180 and heading in the other direction.

He finally managed to find his way to the right lecture hall, mouth dropping open as he took in just how many people were in the class with him. There must’ve been close to 100 people. He took a deep breath and sat down towards the back of the classroom. He heard Harry’s voice in his head, saying that the hardest working students sat near the front, but the man hadn’t told him where the students who were scared shitless sat. So in the back he stayed.

Just as the professor walked into the classroom, a couple students wandered in and found the few empty seats that were left. There was an open one next to Eggsy and he was truly okay with the fact that no one was sitting there. He took a deep breath as he pulled his notebook and textbook out of his bag.

The chair next to him squeaked slightly as someone sat down in it. Eggsy looked out of the corner of his eye, and when he saw who it was his concern faded right into confusion, “Anna?”

“Hey there,” she smiled, “what’s up, Brainiac?”

Eggsy chuckled, “Um, not much. What, what’re you doing here?”

“Taking Intro to Psych, what are you doing here?”

“The same. Why, why didn’t you tell me you were taking classes here?”

“I assumed you knew,” she shrugged and pulled a pen out of her bag.

Before Eggsy could ask anything more, the professor spoke up as she wrote her name on the board. “Welcome to Psych 101. Or, Introduction to Psychology. I’m Professor O’Malley.”

Anna looked over at Eggsy, who had his notebook opened to the first page, dated and ready to be filled. She smiled to herself and shook her head. She had never really seen the boy nervous about much (save meeting her) in the short time she’d known him. He seemed confident, cocky even. So it was amusing in a way to see him get a little tense.

“Breathe, Eggsy,” she whispered with a quiet laugh.

He smiled at her and his shoulders relaxed a bit. Their professor wasted absolutely no time. Unlike most college professors, she didn’t believe in what the students had dubbed “Syllabus Week”.

“You read the syllabus online,” she told them simply, “That’s assuming you can understand basic written English. So why waste time going over it?”

When the lecture finished, Eggsy set his pen down and flexed his hand a couple times. Between taking notes and having a death-grip on the pen, he’d gotten an awful cramp. He tossed his books back into his bag and looked over at Anna, who was watching him with an entertained look on her face.

“When’s your next class?”

“Not till 10:15. I wanted to space mine out since I had no idea where I’d be going for a while,” he admitted sheepishly.

Anna smiled, “Well, I’ve gotta make a dash to my next class. But we should meet up when you’re done! I’ll show you ‘round campus. It’s my second year here, I’ve got a pretty good handle on things.”

“Really? I’d owe you so big, Anna, you ‘ave no fuckin’ clue.”

“Meet me on East Quad once you get out of class, yea?”

He nodded, “I c’n do that,” he paused, “Wait, Anna, one more question.”

“What’s up?”

“Where’s the Humanities Building? I’ve got my history course there.”

“Oh, with who?”

He looked at his schedule, “Durham?”

“Bless your sweet soul, Eggsy,” Anna said with a laugh, “But go straight down this path and it’ll be the second building on your right.”

He took a deep breath, “Aight, thank you. I’ll see you later.”

She nodded, “East Quad.”

“East Quad,” he repeated back quietly before turning and going off towards his next class.

He got out of his class and tried to get his bearings enough to make it to East Quad without having to text Anna for directions. He wanted to have this on his list of little victories for the day. After all, things hadn’t been as bad as he thought they were going to be. He was nervous for all the projects, though. Reading over the syllabus for each class made it all seem really overwhelming. But he had months, so he tried to tell himself that every time his professor mentioned something that would end up being worth a good 40% of his grade.

He walked down the path to East Quad, and sure enough Anna was already there, sitting underneath a tree reading a book. She looked like one of those cheesy photos in the college brochures, only she looked stunning and not posed.

Silently he slid down next to her and waited for her to look up from the page. She smiled, not lifting her eyes from the story she was reading, “Glad you found your way.”

“Wasn’t easy, but I’m just glad I made it to the right side of campus.”

“They couldn’t name the quads any easier,” she laughed, “you lit’rally just need to know your compass directions.”

“If ya haven’t noticed, Doll, I’m a bit directionally challenged.”

“Too used to just wandering aimlessly and ending up wherever?” she asked with a laugh as she closed her book.

“You laugh, but that’s probably it, in all honesty,” he paused and looked around, “Is this where you always hang out when you’re here?”

“When the weather allows it,” she brushed her fingers against the grass, “Helps me not, you know, freak the fuck out about life.”

“I got you on that,” Eggsy laughed and looked up through the leaves on the tree, “I was sitting in class and all I could think was _I’m so fucking far out of my depth here holy shit._ ”

“It’s also the first day of your first year, y’know. Give yourself a break.”

He smiled as he picked at the blades of grass, “Thanks. But I shoulda done this years ago.”

Anna rolled her eyes, “ _Years ago_ ,” she said dramatically, “Christ, Eggsy, you’re making yourself sound like an old man.”

He couldn’t help but to laugh, “I’m just saying!”

“So humor me for a minute, yea?” she turned to look at him, “What does Gary Unwin want to do with the rest of his life?”

He smiled, the use of his real first name seemed so foreign. The last time someone had used it was when he was sitting in the back seat of a cop car. Needless to say this was much better. “I really don’t have the slightest clue,” he admitted.

She nodded, “That’s alright. You’ve got time, yea?”

“S’pose so,” he nudged her shoulder, “What about you? What do you wanna do for the rest of your life?”

“I’m guessing you wouldn’t believe me if I said food delivery, huh?”

He laughed and shook his head, “No, no I would not. Not in the slightest, act’ally." 

She shrugged and flopped so she was sprawled across the grass on her back. “I wanna do something with music. Or kids. Or both, really.”

He nodded, “Sounds like you.”

“Oh yea?”

“Yea, I mean, you’ve got that,” he gestured to her entire being, “thing about you.”

“Oh thank you, Eggsy. Glad you pinpointed that for me.”

He couldn’t help but to laugh. For a moment Anna got wrapped up in the way his eyes lit up, crinkling slightly around the edges. She lightly bit the inside of her lip and pushed the thoughts from her head as she tuned back in to what he was saying. “I mean, I just meant,” he chuckled and shook his head, “sometimes ya just meet people and ya know they’re gonna do something like that, y’know? Like it makes perfect sense to me that you’d wanna work with kids, I dunno.”

“Why is that?”

“I think you’ve got a thing for wantin’ to help people,” he told her simply.

“What makes you say that?”

“Pretty sure what really sold me was you taking the fuckin’ cig right outta my mouth,” he laughed and arched an eyebrow.

Anna laughed, “Okay, okay, I s’pose you got me on that one,” there were a few moments of quiet between them before she asked, “You still want me to show you around campus?”

“You still up for it?”

She nodded as she sat up and tucked her things back into her bag, “Of course! Helping people is my thing, remember?”

She hopped up and stretched, taking her hair down out of the bun it’d been tied up in. It cascaded down past her shoulders in waves, and Eggsy fought to not let his jaw go lax. She turned and looked at him, smiling as bright as ever as she held her hand out to help him up. He laughed as she struggled to pull him up, and there was a small part of him tempted to pull her right back down onto the grass with him. He suppressed the urge as he pushed himself up off the ground.

Anna dragged him all across the campus, pointing out buildings and making little side notes about things that Eggsy knew he wouldn’t remember the second he got home. But as she walked backwards, twirled around pointing every which way, he almost didn’t care what she was saying. It was a bit hypnotic to see her so immersed in it. It gave him hope that maybe he’d be that comfortable there given enough time.

“There’s plenty more,” Anna said as she collapsed onto the bench at the base of one of the quads, “but I think that should get you through your first few weeks without too much of a problem.”

Eggsy smiled as he sat down next to her, “Thanks fer this. I really appreciate it, y’know.”

“’Course. It’d be a bit of a dick move to leave you hanging, yea?”

“Just a bit,” he smirked.

“You feel a bit better about all this now?”

He nodded, “Yea. Honestly it’s kinda nice just to know you’re ‘round here somewhere. I don’t know a single person here, which is kinda intimidating on its own.”

“Well, any time you find yourself lost or anything just text me and I’ll help you out,” she playfully nudged his shoulder, “But I think it’d also do you good to be a bit social, yea?”

He laughed, “I will be, I swear. I was more focused on just surviving for today. Friends will be my mission for tomorrow, aight?”

“Good. I think you’ll fit in fine here to be honest, Eggsy.”

“Well let’s hope so,” he looked over at her, “You got plans tonight?”

She shook her head, “None that I know of, why?”

“Didn’t know if you wanted to come over and have dinner with me and the guys,” he laughed, “You don’t have to deliver it this time.”

“Well, how can I pass up on an offer like that?”

They hopped out of the car, which Eggsy regrettably had to admit wasn’t his when she asked. She gently swung her door shut and waited for Eggsy to walk around and go with her to the front door, not wanting to be the first one to appear at his house. He laughed as he locked the car and slipped the keys into his pocket.

He opened the door, “After you, Miss.”

Anna dramatically batted her eyelashes, placing her hands over her heart, “Oh, why thank you Mr. Unwin.”

Before walking inside, Eggsy glanced over at Harry’s house, which had once again fallen silent. He wondered for a brief moment how long the man would be gone before shutting the door. As he and Anna were taking their shoes off, Alex came crashing down the stairs, “Ayo, Eggsy, how was the big first,” he halted when he saw Anna standing in the foyer, "Oh, hey there.”

She smiled and shyly tucked her hair behind her ear, “Long time, no see.”

“You didn’t tell us you were bringin’ a date over tonight, bruv,” Alex said to Eggsy with a laugh.

“It’s not a date,” the both of them said with an eye roll. They looked at each other and burst out into laughter. The response was so automatic for them, after having to deal with Anna’s mother making comments and asking questions when Eggsy went over or Anna left to go meet up with him. It wasn’t the most far-fetched idea and the both of them knew it, but things were just so simple with them as friends and everyone seemed out to complicate it, trying to make their relationship into something more than it was. There had been moments when each other them had entertained the idea, but they were just moments, and fleeting ones at that.

Alex chuckled, “Whatever you say,” he turned to Anna, “You staying for dinner?”

“That’s the plan.”

He nodded, “Good. You get to see Unwin make use of himself for once.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes but didn’t give the comment a verbal response. Anna looked over at him, “You cook?”

“Someone in this house has to be able to,” he said with a laugh.

 

“On your left,” Merlin was giving Harry warnings to where his next would-be assassinators were coming from. One of the other men in the room chuckled as he typed away on his computer. Merlin turned to him, a curious expression on his face, “What?”

“Get it?” the young man laughed, “ _On your left_. Y’know, from the…” he looked at the man incredulously, “You’ve seen the Captain America movies, haven’t you?”

Merlin rolled his eyes, “I’m afraid that movie references are more Galahad’s area of expertise.”

“The Winter Soldier,” Harry said as he shot down two more men, “It’s from The Winter Soldier. Christ Merlin you really do live under a rock.”

“That rock I live under is what keeps all of you alive,” he didn’t miss a beat, “So I’d think before you criticize.”

No one could argue with that very valid point. They hadn’t the slightest clue as to what Merlin did in his spare time, or if he ever really even had any spare time to begin with. If he wasn’t guiding agents through missions he was cracking codes, gathering information, not to mention he briefed and debriefed every mission right alongside Arthur. He lived as though he never left HQ. It seemed like it suited him just fine, but sometimes the other agents forgot about it until moments like that.

“Turn left when you get to the next hallway. It’ll bring you to the stairs that lead to the front entrance.”

“You want me to go to the front entrance?” Harry could only think about how his face was probably scraped up and blood-spattered. Certainly his appearance wouldn’t make it easy for him to casually slip out the front doors and blend right into the rest of society.

“You’ll go out the front door and to the right. The very next door is what’ll take you to your mark.”

“He’s not in the same room as the girl?”

Merlin paused, looking through the security footage he was streaming on one of his monitors, “No, he’s not. Two rooms away from her to be exact. But Harry, don’t do anything too drastic. I’d like the building to stay intact.”

“I’ll do my best, Merlin,” he jogged down the stairs, “But you know that I don’t make promises I can’t keep.”

Merlin rolled his eyes, “Which reminds me, we need to talk about your latest commitment.”

Harry sighed as he slipped through the door of the next building after dodging a few very questioning glances on the sidewalk, “I knew you were going to bring that up.”

“You thought I’d just glance over it?” he paused, “Three guards, nine o’clock,” he waited for Harry to take care of them before continuing, “I’m just saying that you’re treading in some dangerous waters.”

“It’s not like I gave him a direct line to Kingsman, you know.”

“Yes, well, he seems like a determined individual, Galahad.”

He crept around the corner, gun at the ready, “You honestly think he’s a security risk?”

“Second door on the right. That’s your mark,” he sighed, “I’ve told you from the start, I just think you need to be careful”

They put their argument on hold as Harry silently slipped into the room. The other young techs were gathered around Merlin’s largest screen, where Harry’s feed was being more or less broadcasted for the entire department to see. They were professionals, sure, but no one wanted to pass up the chance to see a good Galahad-level brawl.

The man stood at the opposite side of the room, facing the large window that took up most of the wall. His suit seemed like it could’ve been something straight out of the official Kingsman closet, his dirty blonde hair was gelled back perfectly. He saw Harry in the reflection and smiled, “I was wondering when you might get here.”

“You were expecting me,” it was a statement, not a question.

“I know how you feel about old friends, Harry.”

The younger techs all looked at Merlin; marks never called the agents by their real names. The marks never even had an inkling as to what the real names were of the Kingsman agents; that was practically the entire reason they all kept their personal and professional lives so separate. The fact that this man knew Harry as Harry, and not as Galahad or some other alias, was news to everyone. Well, news to everyone except for Mr. Hart himself.

“Friends seems ill-fitting, doesn’t it?” Harry’s voice was markedly calm.

The man laughed, “I suppose you’re right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was mostly Eggsy, and the next will be mostly Harry. I'm actually having so much fun writing this story so thank you all for the support and encouragement.  
> As always, feel free to comment with suggestions and all that good stuff. xox


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Won't be able to post for a few days because life stuff. So you guys deserve two chapters in two days because you're all awesome. :)

“Galahad,” Merlin’s voice was angry, but more concerned than anything, “give me something here. My records of this man don’t show him having any inkling of a connection with you.”

“Andrew Goodwell,” Harry called him by the name they had met under, “I see you changed up your dossier a tad since we last met. Shame, really.”

Merlin’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. How he hadn’t recognized the man was beyond him, and he mentally kicked himself halfway across the globe for not realizing it. The man had certainly bulked up, and changed his hair color, but there was still something off in the hazel eyes glaring at Harry, the way there’d always been.

“Funny you should say that,” Andrew said as he turned to fully face Harry, “because my old one didn’t seem quite up to par with what you all wanted it to be.”

“You know that’s not what the problem was,” Harry’s tone was very matter-of-fact.

The young man rolled his eyes, “Yes, yes, I know. If you don’t pass all the tests you don’t get to be a member of the fuckin’ Secret Service. I get it,” he paused for a moment and composed himself, “But you’re not here to hash out the past, are you.”

“Are _you_?” for a moment Harry heard Eggsy’s voice, the palpable sarcasm and defiance in it.

He must’ve sounded more like the boy than he bargained for, because Andrew was looking at him skeptically. “No, ‘course not. I’ve moved on to bigger and better things than your elite club for the posh and prim.”

“Then what am I doing here?”

“You want the girl.”

“Me, personally? No,” Harry could hear Merlin groan in frustration. He hated when Harry got sarcastic while he was in his Galahad role, especially when he was dealing with a mark that was as mentally unstable as the one standing in front of him, “But I’m sure the Governor would love to have his daughter back.”

“He gets to have his daughter when he gives me the weapons that he owes me!”

“Oh, _Andrew_ ,” Harry put extra emphasis on the man’s name, seeing how much it burned him, “I had more faith in you. Weapons? Really? I got dragged into a whole new country just because of _that_? All the things in the world you could want access to, and weapons is what you settle on?”

“You’re nothing without yours.”

“That’s a lie, and you’re more aware of it than most,” he calmly adjusted his glasses, “But we’re getting off-track a bit, aren’t we? The point is, Mr. Goodwell, that you’re going to let me leave here with the governor’s daughter, and unfortunately for you, you’re going to leave without your weapons and your bargaining piece.”

The man’s laughter could’ve brought the sky tumbling down if it had lasted too long. “Nice try, Harry. But I know you; I know how you operate. Your civility tactic isn’t going to work on me.”

“Alright,” Harry sighed, “But don’t say that I never gave you an option.” He reached into his jacket, pulling out a pistol and aiming it right between the man’s eyes.

The mark laughed and shook his head, “”I told you, you’re nothing without your weapons.”

A sincere smile replaced the stone-cold look on Harry’s face. He emptied the chamber of the gun and set it on the ground, kicking it across the room. Merlin was cursing him into the following week but Harry tuned it all out. His pride and reputation were on the line. He knew that Andrew was doing it solely to get the better of his former mentor, but Harry couldn’t help but to indulge. Every logical fiber in his body told him to use the immense about of Kingsman weaponry he had practically built into him at that point, but instead he cracked his neck and looked directly into the eyes of what he considered one of his greatest misjudgments.

“Let’s see how right you might be,” he said calmly.

Merlin buried his face in his hands, unable to watch the scene that was about to ensue. Harry was a phenomenal fighter and killer; Merlin knew that better than pretty much anyone short of the people Harry had killed. But he also knew that Harry’s sentimentality was something no number of years in Kingsman would ever completely wash away. There was a time when he’d had hope in a young, troubled Andrew Goodman. That fleeting memory was about to be the thing that had the best chance of fucking him over for the second time.

They didn’t waste a moment. Andrew flew forward with a vicious righthand cross, but Harry easily slipped it, coming back with his own and catching his mark in the jaw. He spat out blood but otherwise seemed unphased by the contact. Harry tried not to let the anxiety show on his face. The man feinted a roundhouse kick and quickly glided in, nailing Harry with a liver shot. He doubled over for a moment but as he stood upright, he came with a powerful uppercut that blasted Goodwell backwards a few steps, giving Harry just enough time to advance, continuously striking and backing the man up against the window. By the time Harry had him pinned to the glass by his throat, the young man’s nose was gushing blood, bruises already starting to darken onto his face.

“Finish him off and get out, Galahad,” Merlin’s voice was stern.

“You had such potential,” Harry’s voice was incredibly level given how out of breath he was.

Andrew squirmed against the vice grip on his windpipe, managing to choke out, “ _Have_ ,” before quickly bringing his knee up and slamming it into Harry’s stomach, knocking the wind out of the agent and freeing himself all in one swift motion.

Harry advanced once more but both men knew he had lost the upper hand. Merlin would’ve been pulling his hair out if he had any. The younger techs wanted to go back to their posts but this was something they couldn’t manage to tear themselves away from.

He blocked and deflected numerous punches that Andrew threw at him. He gripped the mark’s one wrist and quickly twisted it, spinning him and pinning the arm behind his back. Andrew writhed against his grip but when he accepted the fact that there wouldn’t be any out-powering him, he went for a Hail Mary. He violently flung his head back, and was rewarded with a cracking sound that he could only assume was Harry’s nose.

Merlin cringed, “For fuck’s sake,” they all knew it was bad if Merlin lost his cool, “stab the bastard and get out, Galahad. Lancelot retrieved the girl, just kill him and get out.”

For a moment Harry entertained the idea as retrieving the dagger hidden within the fabric of his suit, but he knew that this fight wasn’t going to be won with the use of anything but their bare hands. That was established as soon as they each discovered who the other was.

His eyes were watering from the blow to his nose, but he brought his arm up, clenching his fist tight as he drove his elbow down, right into the base of Andrew’s neck. The man fell to the floor with a slew of curse words. Harry dove, ready to beat the last of the lights out in Goodwell’s eyes. Once he was close enough, though, there was a burning feeling in his side. He looked down, hearing the mark’s laughter as he pulled the knife out of the side of Harry’s stomach. He kicked Harry off of him, standing over his former mentor for a moment, as if deciding whether or not he wanted to finish him off right then and there.

“Shame, really,” Andrew said with a sick laugh before turning on his heel and taking off out the door.

Merlin had already called in for a retrieval team, this time for Harry and not the girl. Everything was a blur as the man felt himself get lifted by multiple agents and taken out some mysterious back door. Merlin sat in front of his monitors, pinching the bridge of his nose.

He quickly realized that all of the techs were still gathered around. “Show’s over,” he snapped, “Back to being useful.” The lot of them dispersed like smoke into air.

Harry was in the HQ infirmary before the sun had risen the next day. He slowly stirred, sore all over from his altercation the previous day. He forced his eyes open and saw Merlin sitting at his bedside, typing away furiously on his tablet.  
He heard the sheets crumple. Without lifting his eyes he said, “I told you ages ago that nothing but trouble could come from someone with the last name of _Goodwell_.”

Harry attempted to sit up but soon realized it was futile. “Is now really the time for I Told You So’s, Merlin?”

“You might be one of the best and longest-standing agents here, Galahad,” all sarcasm and lightness was gone from his voice, “But that does not mean, nor will it _ever_ mean that you are above taking orders. Multiple times I told you to finish your mark and get the bloody Hell out of dodge,” his eyes pierced Harry’s, “Next time I give explicit orders while you’re on a mission like that, you take them without question. Are we clear?”

Harry nodded. As much as he wanted to try and defend the choices he’d made, he knew he was wrong. Rather than putting his other foot in his mouth, he settled for, “How’s Lancelot?”

Merlin shrugged, “She’s fine. Nothing seems to phase that girl anymore. It’s a little alarming at times.”

“The governor’s daughter?”

“Fine as well. She hit it off with Lancelot right away. In that one regard it might’ve been better that we had to call her in, in your stead.”

He was about to ask what had come of Goodwell, but Merlin beat him to it.

“And our mark is now lost in the wind. He dropped off the grid immediately. All those months of research, the missions the agents went through to gather Intel, all wasted.”

“Merlin, I-”

He held up a hand to silence him, “I don’t need any apologies or promises to make things right. I need you to recognize what you did, and never do it again,” and with that, he got up and walked out of the infirmary.

Harry pressed his head back against the pillow, thinking for a moment that if he pressed it deep enough it would make him go comatose for a short while. He shut his eyes and tried to think of ways to start fixing this. Although solutions were hard to envision while he was trapped in a hospital bed.

The medics at Kingsman were something resembling angels on Earth. They had Harry completely patched up and good enough to go him within a couple of days. The cuts on his face were mostly gone and the stab wound seemed to be healing quicker than he originally thought it would.

“I’m afraid it’s going to leave a scar,” the nurse told him as she helped him slowly stand up.

He cringed as he stood upright, but managed a sincere smile, “It’s not the first, and I’m quite sure it won’t be the last.”

“Must work wonders on the ladies,” she said with a laugh.

He chuckled, “I think it loses a bit of its effect when I can’t tell the real story of how I got them.”

“Do you need help getting home or settling in? I can send one of the other nurses with you.”

“That’s quite alright,” he gave a small dismissive wave, “I’ll manage just fine.

 

Anna stood outside the door of the pub, waiting for Eggsy to get there. It wasn’t really her kind of place, and from the way he’d talked about it, it was Eggsy’s stomping grounds more than any other venue the two of them had wound up in. She absently scrolled through her phone while she waited for him.

“Well, well, well,” the voice certainly didn’t belong to Eggsy. Anna would’ve settled for it belonging to _literally_ anyone other than who it was. “Look who it is,” his smile was as fake as it could be.

“What’re you doing here?” she tried to hide the anger in her voice.

“I could ask you the same thing. You never came ‘round here before.”

“Didn’t have a good enough reason to,” she shot back.

The smile dropped off his face as he stepped towards her. Anna hardly broke five feet, and this boy was nearing six. He towered over her, glaring down into her eyes, which were quickly filling with fear she’d never admit to. “Don’t talk to me like that,” his tone was cold.

“Or what?” she knew better than to challenge him but she couldn’t stop herself.

He pushed her back and she stumbled, not ready for the sudden force. He laughed, “You really wanna find out, Luv?”

Anna stood her ground even though her hands trembled. Eggsy was never late, why on Earth did he have to pick that day to break the habit? The boy walked towards her, closing the gap between them with two easy steps. He gripped her wrist tight in one hand.

Before he could make another move, Eggsy came flying around the corner. Before he fully understood the scene in front of him, he was sputtering out an apology, “Sorry, Doll, me mum called and-” he looked up and saw the aggression on the man’s face, “Who’re you?”

He let go of Anna’s wrist, only to pull her close to him by her waist, “I could ask you the same.”

“Let ‘er go, mate,” Eggsy’s voice was calm but inside his head he was getting ready for a fight.

“Don’t think I wanna,” he pulled the girl ever closer.

The discomfort showed as obvious as could be on Anna’s face, but there was still a pleading look in her eyes, begging Eggsy not to do anything stupid. He stepped forward, “C’mon, I don’t wanna make a scene out here.”

“Then don’t.”

“Jay,” Anna’s voice was soft, “just lemme go. I’ll get you later. Please…”

His grip tightened on the girl’s waist as he gestured to Eggsy, “Who is this?”

Anna opened her mouth to speak, but Eggsy jumped in before she could, “You don’t gotta explain shit ta him, Anna. He ain’t worth it,” he returned his attention to the boy, “I’m only askin’ you one more time, mate. _Let her go._ ”

“What’re you gonna do if I don’t?”

Anna’s face went paste white. She hadn’t ever seen Eggsy fight, but something told her that there wasn’t a high chance of winning for his opponent, whoever it may be. Her voice was quiet, “C’mon, Jay, pl-”

His fingers dug into the girl’s hips, “Shut it!”

“Aight,” a fire lit up behind Eggsy’s eyes as he saw Anna wince, “that’s it.”

Everything went red and Eggsy couldn’t recall what actually happened. He remembered pushing Anna out of the line of fire but after that, everything was a blur. Next thing he knew cops were prying him off of Jay, who was on the ground with a busted lip, nose, and a cut above his eye.

One cop slapped a pair of cuffs on him and shoved him into the back seat of the cop car. Eggsy didn’t even pay attention to what was going on with Jay. He looked over at Anna, who seemed shaken but at the same time there was an odd sort of relief on her face.

She took a deep breath and walked up to the cop, “Officer, can I go down to the station with you? There must be something I can do to remedy this whole thing.”

“Unless you got his bail,” he stated simply, “there’s not too much for ya to do.”

She looked at Eggsy, who shook his head, “Don’ worry ‘bout it,” he told her, “I got this.”

He actually had no idea what he was going to do. But he must’ve sounded more confident than he felt because Anna told him to call her as soon as he got out, and then waited and watched as the car pulled away.

“It’s been awhile, Unwin,” the cop said without taking his eyes off the road, “Nice to see you haven’t lost your touch.”

“It ain’t what ya think,” Eggsy started.

“Never is, is it?”

The boy knew that at that point he was fighting a losing battle, so he sighed and leaned back in his seat without another word. He racked his brain, trying to figure out some way to escape the situation he was in. There was no getting out of the cop car, he’d tried that before and failed miserably. This was the last thing his mom needed to be dealing with, and Alex would have his ass on a silver platter if he found out Eggsy had been arrested again.

They hauled him into the station and got the formalities out of the way. The cop finally turned to him and asked, “Is there someone you’d like to call?”

Eggsy bit his lip in thought. “Can I see my cell?” The officer gave him a skeptical glance. Eggsy rolled his eyes, “I don’t ‘ave the number memorized.”

The cop recuffed Eggsy’s hands so they were in front, which made it much easier to scroll through his contacts and land on Harry’s number. He dialed it into the station’s phone and waited, hoping to god that Harry hadn’t gone back out on another excursion since he returned from the last one.

“Hello?” Harry’s voice was calm as ever.

“’Arry?”

“Eggsy?” he tensed up, “What’s going on?”

“I’m a bit, um…I’m up shit creek, Harry.”

“In need of a paddle, I assume?”

“You don’t even fuckin’ know, bruv.”

“Where are you?”

“Local police station…”

Harry sighed and Eggsy could picture the man shutting his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, “I’ll see you soon.”

When Eggsy hung up the phone he turned back to the cop with a shrug, “’e’s on his way.”

The cop knew Eggsy was a minimal threat to anyone there at the station. He kindly tossed Eggsy into his own holding cell so he wouldn’t have to deal with the rougher people other cops had picked up. Eggsy sat down on the plank bench, twirling his thumbs until he heard the sound of the cell door sliding open.

Harry stood there next to the officer, looking amused and the slightest bit disappointed at the same time. The cop told Eggsy that he was free to go, and he quickly went over to Harry, who wrapped his arm around the boy’s shoulders and ushered him out of the station as fast as he could without breaking into a run.

“Get in the car, Eggsy,” Harry said gently as he unlocked the doors.

He buckled himself in and sat silently, waiting for Harry to yell at him, or bombard him with questions. He didn’t know which one would be worse. The man slowly sat down in the driver’s seat, pressing his hand onto his side for a moment. Eggsy was about to ask him what happened, but Harry had a few questions of his own.

“Do I want to know what happened tonight?”

“I’m sorry, Harry,” guilt immediately covered the boy’s entire face, his eyes were all but begging Harry to not be angry with him, “I didn’t know who else ta call. I’ll give you the money back for my bail as soon as I have it, honest.”

“There was no bail money,” Harry had a magical tone of voice that kept Eggsy from being at all questioning of that statement. He looked over at the boy, “And even if there was, those things aren’t what I’m worried about. You can’t just go getting into brawls all the time, you know.”

“Says the guy who has new injuries every time I see him.”

He wanted to argue that his case was different, that his injuries were a part of his job. But that was a door he couldn’t risk opening, seeing as how Eggsy would never let him shut it until he got an answer to every single question. Harry sighed, “That’s a bit different. I’m not going and beating the Hell out of total strangers. The officer said you didn’t even know the man!”

“I didn’t ‘ave to!” the boy snapped, “He was bein’ rough with Anna. I don’ give a fuck who ‘e is.”

Harry bit his tongue. He knew that Eggsy was more sensitive than most when it came to things like that. The boy had a hyperawareness about him after having to live through that kind of roughness and abuse for so long. Harry decided it was best to let the topic drop for the time being. He put the car in drive and they made their way back home in silence.

“Do your roommates know what happened?” he ventured to ask as he pulled into his driveway.

Eggsy shook his head, “No, they’d kill me. Eh, well, Alex would. Imma just keep this one to myself,” he hopped out of the car, “Thanks for all this, Harry.”

“Of course,” the man looked at him, “You sure you’re alright?”

“Yea, ‘course. What about you though, bruv?”

Harry looked at him confusedly, “Me? I’m fine. I’m not the one who was just in a brawl outside the pub.”

“You’re just lookin’ a bit off,” he shrugged, “Didn’t know if savin’ the world all the time was starting to get the better of ya.”

Harry chuckled, “Not yet.”

The two of them stood there in Harry’s driveway, hardly more than a foot away from each other. The unasked question hung in the air of whether Eggsy was going to find himself sprawled across Harry’s couch again, listening to stories that would take them both into the earliest hours of the day. He looked at Harry with a hopeful spark in his eyes, praying that he’d give Eggsy the opportunity. Harry wanted to; there wasn’t anything that he wanted more in that moment. But the piercing pain in his side was starting to come back as his pain medication wore off. He became very aware of what a fine line he was walking with this whole situation. Nevertheless, the words, “Do you want to come in?” tried to fight their way out into the night air.

When Harry didn’t extend any kind of invitation, Eggsy scuffed the toe of his sneaker on the blacktop, “Thanks again, Harry. I owe you.”

“What happens when I make you pay up for all that you owe me?” a cheeky smile passed over his lips.

“I guess we’ll see,” he tucked his hands into his pockets, “I’ll see ya.”

“Goodnight, Eggsy,” Harry smiled, hating himself every second he didn’t ask the boy to stay, “Stay out of trouble.”

He laughed as he walked back towards his own house, “Then you’d never see me.”

Harry shook his head with an amused grin. Eggsy was right, if he stopped getting into trouble the chances of him seeing Harry as often would become practically nonexistent. He watched the boy slip into his own house. Harry took a deep breath before locking his car and heading inside.

As soon as the last lock on his door clicked, “Just keep getting closer to the fire, Harry. You’ll still be shocked when it burns you.”

“Merlin, I swear. You have a million other things to be doing right now, I can guarantee it. Why, why must you eavesdrop?”

“Because I trust you with everything else in your life, but not him.”

“He’s a troubled kid with a temper, hardly something you need to be worrying about.”

“It’s really not _him_ that I’m worried about.”

There was silence on both ends for a few moments as they let the statement hang in the air. It’s not like Harry had never had relationships, but this wasn’t even a relationship. Whatever it was though, Merlin knew it wasn’t something Harry had ever really dealt with before. New waters meant that one of them needed to be objective, and this time the burden just so happened to fall on Merlin.

“You’re invested, Harry.”

“I am not,” his denial was like that of a child’s.

Merlin sighed, “You just got him out of jail scotfree, and without bail, after he assaulted someone without real provocation.”

“You heard what he said, clearly he-”

Merlin didn’t let him finish, “You didn’t know that, though, not when you got him out,” he paused, “I don’t mind you getting attached to someone. That’s not the issue here. The issue is that you’re getting attached and not thinking things through because of it.”

“He doesn’t have much of anyone else, Merlin.”

“And that’s not your problem,” he realized how cold it sounded, “It’s just, it’s not worth risking your safety over. And with your situation as it stands with Goodwell and whoever else that bastard has under his thumb, you can’t afford to be slipping up.”

Harry took a deep breath, “You’re not wrong.”

“I know.”

He rolled his eyes, “Can we be done with this topic now?”

“Fine. Get some sleep. Merlin signing off.”

“Galahad signing off.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one final left, which means I'll be back to posting on a more consistent basis very, very soon. Love you all. xox

When Anna sat down next to Eggsy in class the following week, the first thing he wanted to ask her was who exactly did he beat the shit out of, and why hadn’t she mentioned him before. But he knew that that would be less than polite. 

She smiled nervously as she sat down, “Hey.”

“Hey, you okay?”

She nodded, “You?”

“’Course I am,” there were a few beats of silence, “Anna, who was that guy anyway?”

She waved her hand dismissively, “Just an old friend.”

Eggsy raised an eyebrow, “Doesn’t seem like you two were on very _friendly_ terms before.”

“I really don’t want to talk about this right now, Eggsy.”

“Anna, I got my ass thrown in jail over this guy. I’d really just like to know who the fuck ‘e is.”

She stared intently at her notebook, doodling swirls in the margin, “Jay’s kinda my ex.”

“Kinda?”

She shrugged, “It’s an on-again, off-again sorta thing.”

“ _What_?”

“What?”

The whole vibe that he got from the situation put Eggsy on edge. It was hitting too close to home. “You can’t just,” he leaned back in his chair, running his hands over his face, “ya can’t keep going back to someone who treats you like that, Anna. It’s gonna get worse. You don’t deserve that.”

“Can we finish this discussion later? Class is gonna start.”

Eggsy wanted to say that this wasn’t a _discussion_ , but he held his tongue. Instead he turned back to his notebook, opening to a fresh page and jotting the date down. All throughout class he took notes and he heard what the professor was saying, but he forgot it as soon as he wrote it down. Nothing was sticking with him. He was too distracted by the thought of Anna landing herself in a relationship like his mother’s.

Oh God. His mother. She’d called him the other day, freaking out because she hadn’t heard from him since that day at the park. Needless to say Eggsy was a bit too shaken to attempt calling or going over there himself. He figured that his mom would find a time that was safe for both of them to talk. She immediately rambled out a million apologies, not that Eggsy thought she needed to say them. All he cared about was whether or not she and Daisy were safe. Which thankfully, they were. At least for the time being. When Eggsy told his mom about him taking classes, her voice had been so full of happiness. Their conversation was cut short, Eggsy could hear Dean’s engine in the background. But it was nice for the both of them to finally be able to touch base and learn that everyone was still in one piece. He couldn’t help but to think, though, that there was something else his mom had wanted to talk to him about and she didn’t get the chance to.

He snapped back to attention as a video started blaring through the lecture hall. He jumped in his seat a little before shaking his head and settling back down. Anna cast him a curious look.

“You alright?” she whispered.

He nodded, “Yea, just zoned out for a minute there.”

The lights came back up as everyone packed their things away. Eggsy waited for Anna at the door to the lecture hall, offering to walk with her to her next class since he didn’t have to be anywhere for a bit. She seemed a little apprehensive, not wanting to pick up where they had left off before, but she agreed anyway.

“I’m not gonna give ya the third degree,” Eggsy told her with a soft smile as they made their way across campus.

Anna laughed, “Thank you, I appreciate that.”

“What class do you even have now, anyway?” he looked around at the buildings, vaguely remembering her telling him about them the previous week.

“Music theory.”

“Ah, right, the future child-saving musician.”

She laughed, “While that has a lovely ring to it, I was thinking more along the lines of music therapy.”

“Damn. You’ve already got a plan and then some. How d’you even do it without havin’ some sorta like, I dunno…”

“Existential crisis?” she offered.

“Yes,” he nodded, “Exactly.”

Anna shook her head, “I’ve had plenty. They’re just starting to pay off.”

The two of them stopped outside the door of the building where Anna’s class was. He gave her a quick hug and said goodbye. When she asked if he wanted to meet up on the quad later, he hesitated. He thought about it for a moment, wanting to say yes but he knew there was something else he had to do first.

“I can’t. I gotta stop somewhere quick and then go stop and see me mum.”

She nodded understandingly, “Alright. Have fun, then. Stay outta trouble if you can.”

He laughed as he walked away, “We’ll see.”

His next class seemed to drag on forever. Half the problem was that he found history to be so goddamn _boring_. But it was a credit that he needed to get out of the way if he wanted to progress further and get a degree. Not that that really mattered at the moment since he didn’t know what it was that he wanted to do. But better to get it done now was what he told himself.

He made his way down to the apartment complex where his mom and Dean lived. Looking into the parking lot, he saw that Dean was nowhere to be found. He let out a sigh of relief as he went up the steps and knocked on the front door. When his mother opened it, a huge smile crossed her face as she threw her arms around him in a hug.

“I was so worried about you!”

“I told you I was fine,” he smiled.

“I never believe that until I see it for myself,” she laughed and shook her head.

“Prob’ly smart on you.”

“I just put Daisy down for a nap, otherwise I’d say go and see her. She’s been asking for you a lot lately, babe.”

“She doin’ okay?”

His mother shrugged, “As okay as she can. She doesn’t get what’s going on, all she knows is that she doesn’t like it,” she paused, “She wants her brother back.”

“Well shit, Mum, it’s not like I wanna be away from you two.”

“I know, I know. I’m not saying you do. I know you don’t like this situation either.”

“Is there anythin’ I can do, Mum? I’m serious. If there’s somethin’ I can do or get to make this better you’ve gotta tell me. I hate feelin’ fuckin’ useless.”

“I don’t know, Eggsy. I just, I don’t know.”

“What did you wanna talk about when you called the other day?”

“What? Nothing, I just wanted to check in on you.”

“Mum,” his tone was disbelieving, “please don’t lie ta me about this.”

She sighed, “I just, I was going to ask you to come pick Daisy up. Dean was in a bit of a mood.”

“Less charming than normal?” his voice had a bite to it.

“Eggsy, please, don’t do this right now.”

“Me? No, this isn’t on me, Mum. You opened this door. Don’t get pissed at me for walking through it.”

“What do you want me to do then, Eggsy? Because I don’t have much of an option at the moment. I can’t just leave; I’ve got no place to go and no way to pay for anything.”

He collapsed onto the couch and ran his hands over his face. He looked back up at his mom, “I don’t know. But there’s just, there has to be a better way to deal with it, with _him_.”

She sat down next to him, wrapping her arm around him and resting her head on his shoulder. For a few minutes there was nothing but silence between the two of them. Finally, Eggsy couldn’t take it anymore. He had to ask, “If I found a place for you and Daisy to stay, would you go? Would you honestly leave Dean and all this shit behind?”

“Of course, why would you even ask that?”

“I dunno, Mum. Sometimes I feel like even though you hate all this, you wouldn’t leave it either.”

“Do you wanna know why, Eggsy?” her tone was suddenly less kind and forgiving. Eggsy didn’t breathe a word, wanting her to continue and for once just be open and honest about how she feels about the whole situation, “It’s because I don’t want anything to end up happening to you and Daisy. That would be the end of my world. If I leave, that’d put not only me in danger, but the both of you! Do you realize exactly what that means? I know you think you’ve got a handle on yourself, Eggsy, and that’s great. But you can’t be in three places at once, can you? Because as things are right now, if I just up and left, that would mean that all three of us would be in for some horrible shit.”

He took his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair. He knew that everything his mother was telling him was the truth, and it’s not like he never thought about those things. Hell, that’s why he would climb out the bathroom window if he heard Dean pull in rather than just going out the front door and facing him. Because he could take whatever the man would throw at him, no matter how painful, but what Eggsy couldn’t handle or bear to think about is what might happen once the door closed and he was locked out again, unable to protect him mom and little sister.

She ran her hand up and down his back, “I know you don’t like this, and I don’t either, but right now it’s all we’ve got. I’m sorry, babe, but until something else happens that’s nothing short of a miracle, we have to make do.”

He nodded, “I know. And I know this isn’t your fault or nothin’, I just, I get so frustrated with all this, Mum.”

“I know you do.”

He took a deep breath and stood up, “I’m gonna pop into Daisy’s, and then I’ve gotta go.”

He carefully opened the door to his little sister’s room, smiling as he saw her sleeping like an angel. He walked over, gently smoothing the hair back out of her face. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead, “I love you.” He made sure her blankets were situated before quietly walking out and pulling the door shut behind him with a soft click.

He wrapped him mom in a hug, kissing the top of her head as he did. “We’ll figure this out, yea?” he tried to sound more confident than he felt, “I promise.”

She gently put her hand on his cheek, “I love you.”

He kissed her on the cheek, “I love you too.” He slipped out the front door and jogged off the property, not wanting to push his luck. That was the first time in a long time that he was able to leave through the same door he came in.

He wound up at the Black Prince, like he almost always did when he left his mother’s. It usually served as a good place to unwind before having to go home and act like whatever happened, didn’t. When he pushed the door open, he saw the only people in the world he would give absolutely anything to never have to see. And who else was sitting with them by Jay. Eggsy’s day really couldn’t get any better.

“Fuck,” he mumbled under his breath as he walked in and took a seat at the bar. It was just before the evening rush, so there weren’t all too many people in the pub, which basically meant that Eggsy could get harassed without it causing too much of a problem.

“That’s ‘im!” Jay’s voice grated on the boy’s nerves, “That’s the kid who socked me the other day.”

“It is, huh?” Dean’s laugh let Eggsy know that things weren’t going to be pretty.

“Is that you?” the boy turned and put on his best cocky smile, “Hard ta recognize ya when there’s not blood comin’ outta yer nose.”

Jay stood up out of the chair and stepped towards Eggsy, but stayed safely out of swinging range, “Ya wanna stand up and say that ta my face?”

“Sit down,” Dean got up with the rest of his men, “Let the grownups handle this.”

Eggsy chuckled as he took a swig of his beer and hopped off his stool. He looked Dean dead in the eyes, “Ya need a group of grownups to deal with one lousy kid? C’mon now.”

“Did ya not learn your lesson the last time?”

“’Parently not,” the defiance in his voice was palpable. It was the tone that never failed to get him in some sort of trouble.

Dean stepped forward and quickly raised his hand, which was clenched tightly into a fist. Eggsy flinched out of reflex, but didn’t move an inch from where he was standing. Even though he was scared he knew that he couldn’t let Dean know that. Confidence was half the battle, speed was the other.

“You gonna do somefin’?” Eggsy taunted, “Or are ya just gonna go sit back down? I know this musta been a lot of effort for ya.”

Dean unclenched his fist, only to grab Eggsy by the collar of his shirt and toss him into the table behind him. The table flipped and Eggsy hit the floor hard, but not hard enough to keep him down. He hopped right back up, flipping his hat backwards out of his face, “That all ya got?”

Dean stepped at him again but this time, before he could do anything, Eggsy cocked his right hand back and threw the hardest punch he could muster. It caught Dean on the cheek, which granted Eggsy had been hoping for a nose shot since those are usually bloody and take time to deal with, but that would have to do. Dean fell back a step and waved his men forward.

When they advanced toward Eggsy, he knew that he needn’t push any farther. He was already out of his depth, not that that was anything new. He looked at the bartender, “Put that on my tab, yea?” and with that, he turned and ran out the door.

He heard footsteps behind him, which was oddly reassuring. He knew that he could outrun any and all of those men. He’d done it a million times before and they certainly hadn’t gotten into any kind of shape since the last time. As he reached the end of the block, though, he heard the unmistakable sound of Dean’s car engine. Suddenly the feeling of security melted away. Eggsy worked hard to make sure that Dean never showed up at Alex’s place. The guy was kind enough to let him stay there practically rent-free, he didn’t want to abuse that by having his psychopath of a step-father turning up, banging on their front door.

He quickly turned and headed down an alley. He could run forever, so he used it as his stalling technique. He’d take Dean and his men all over the damn town if that’s what it took. His thoughts were running as fast as his feet as he tried to think of some kind of plan. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. He put it on speaker as he weaved through side-streets and alleyways.

After what seemed like an eternity, he heard Harry’s voice on the other end of the line, “Hello?”

“Ay, ‘Arry.”

“Eggsy? Where on Earth are you? Are you, are you running?”

“Long story, bruv. I gotta ask a favor of ya. Are you home?”

“Since when do you call in advance?”

Eggsy rolled his eyes, “Aight, not the time for that conversation.”

Harry knew that the situation Eggsy was in probably wasn’t comical, but he found himself fighting back laughter, “Yes, I’m home. Just walked through the door, as a matter of fact. Why?”

“Well I’ve got some brutes tailing me. And I need to know if it’s alright if I jump your back fence and come in through your bathroom window.”

“ _What_?”

“I’ll explain when I’m there. But can I?”

Harry had been in plenty of questioning predicaments, and yet for some reason he was left feeling perplexed. “Um, yes,” he ran his hand though his hair, “I’ll unlock it right now.”

“You’re a lifesaver, ‘Arry. I’ll see ya in a bit.”

Before Harry could respond, the line was cut. Eggsy ended the conversation like he was just planning on showing up to have tea and a chat, not like he was escaping someone, or some _people_ by the sounds of it. Harry shook his head as he walked to the back of the house and unlocked the window in the bathroom. How the boy remembered the placement of it from all that time ago was beyond him.

Sure enough, about ten minutes later, there was a loud banging sound in the bathroom as Eggsy fell to the floor from flinging himself through the window. He quickly shut it, locked it, and let the blind fall down. He took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

“It’s jus’ me,” he warned, not wanting Harry to come down the stairs with a baseball bat at the ready or something.

“Just you? No friends with you?” Harry called from the kitchen.

Eggsy walked into the kitchen, and for a moment he just had to let himself look at Harry. He’d seen the man come home from work a million times before, so seeing him in a suit wasn’t a new experience by any means. For some reason, though, there was something about seeing Harry in his suit and glasses, sitting casually at the table reading over the newspaper. Eggsy almost choked on air as he tried to come back with a witty reply.

Harry flicked his eyes up from the paper, “Ah, yes, flying solo I see,” he nodded to the chair next to him, “Take a seat. Looks like you’ve run a long way.”

And _God_ did it suit him. Harry had plenty of years of experience with keeping a straight face, not letting his emotions or interest show, but they were certainly being tested. The collar and chest of the boy’s white shirt were soaked with sweat, and he had to imagine the boy’s back looked the same. His face was flushed but glowing, green eyes bright and aware. He took his hat off for a moment and wiped the sweat off his forehead before collapsing into the seat next to Harry.

“You want a glass of water?”

“That’d be,” Eggsy laughed, “fucking spectacular actually. Yes, please.”

Harry laughed as he walked over to the sink. His tone was light, “So can I ask why you were running from a mob?”

Eggsy shrugged as the man set the glass down in front of him, “Same shit it always is.”

Harry raised an eyebrow, “I’m not quite sure I know what you mean.”

“Y’know,” he took a long drink from his glass, “just gettin’ into it with the wrong people.”

“Are there _right_ people for that?”

Eggsy laughed, “Aight, guess you got a point. But I just had a bit more bad luck with this one than normal.”

“Care to enlighten me? I think I should know what’s going on if you’re going to be coming in through my windows and not just my front door anymore.”

The boy smirked, “I guess you’re right,” he leaned back in his chair, “Y’know that kid I busted in front of the pub the other day?”

“Not really, no.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes, but was still a little amused, “Aight, not _literally_ know ‘im. But you get my point?”

Harry laughed, “Yes, I get your point.”

“Okay. So, apparently he knows me step-dad. And I went to the pub today, and when I walked in, they were practically the only other people there besides me. And, well, words got tossed out and next thing I knew I was high-tailing it down the road from all of ‘em.”

“You say this a little too calmly for me to be comfortable, you know that?”

“Okay, you were calm about having a _dead dog_ in your bathroom. I don’t wanna hear it,” he laughed, “And, well, I mean, it happened and it’s done. What’s the use of gettin’ worked up now? If ya saw me ‘bout fifteen minutes ago, trust me, I was nothing resembling calm.”

For the first time since he met him, Harry was actually beginning to wonder what he was getting into by being friends with Eggsy. Sure, his own life was nothing short of complicated, but this was a whole situation that he hadn’t ever dealt with. If he was honest with himself, he didn’t even know what the situation really was. He had bits and pieces based on what Eggsy told him, and he knew as much as he could about the boy from his records, but beyond that it was just a large, grey mess. But for some reason the fact that he treated these occurrences as if they were _normal_ and something that everyone went through made Harry a little more than concerned.

“How was work?” Eggsy chuckled, “How many countries did ya save today?”

Harry forced himself back into the present moment. He smiled and shook his head, “You have a very glamorous idea of what my job is, don’t you?”

“Well, you haven’t really given me much to go off of, bruv.”

“Why are you so curious?”

“Because I don’t know nothin’ about you. Except that you are oddly okay with letting me drop in at the weirdest of times under the worst circumstances ever,” he laughed.

“See?” Merlin’s voice chirped, and Harry fought not to flinch, “Even he thinks it’s odd.”

Harry fought the urge to reply to the voice that was playing his conscious at the moment. These were the only instances when he hated that Merlin had access to practicaly his whole life. He kept his eyes on Eggsy, not that it was a difficult thing to do. “To be fair,” he took a sip of his tea, “You’re not really that much of an open book, yourself.”

Eggsy held his hands out, “What ya see is what ya get, ‘Arry. I dunno what you’re expecting. Got some _glamorous_ ideas of your own?”

Harry tried his hardest to keep his mouth from saying his initial response, which was to say that his glamourous ideas about Eggsy had absolutely nothing to do with the boy’s personal or social life. He took a deep breath and smiled with a shake of his head, “Hardly.”

“Oh yea?” Eggsy smirked, “Then what kinda ideas you got, Mr. Bond?”

Feeling like he was going to lose the internal battles between his thoughts and his verbal filter, Harry changed the topic. “How are your classes so far, Eggsy?”

The boy rolled his eyes, knowing that he wouldn’t get answers out of the man if he didn’t want to give them. He shrugged, “They’re aight. Nothing real special yet.”

“Grades alright?”

“Well I’d hope so,” he laughed, “we haven’t had any exams yet so I should be acing all my classes at this point.”

Harry chuckled, “You understanding what you’re being taught, though?”

The boy nodded, “Oh yea. I’ve always been real good at school, y’know. I was always towards the top of my class.”

Harry didn’t want to ask, “What happened?” and sound harsh, so he settled for a questioning look that asked for him.

“Life got in the way,” he smirked, “as always.”

“You’ve never really caught a break, have you?” Harry could tell by the look on Eggsy’s face that the boy took it as a joke, but Harry was extremely serious.

“Someone’s always gotta take the shit end of the stick, yea?”

“I don’t think that it’s supposed to be the same person all the time.”

Eggsy shrugged, purposefully ignoring the pity starting to show in Harry’s eyes, “Well you gotta take that up with someone who c’n do somethin’ about it.”

The two of them sat there, Eggsy answering all of Harry’s questions about school that the man could think of. It was anything to keep the conversation and keep Eggsy there, if Harry was being honest with himself. But to be fair, Harry had gone to the same university for his first few years of school, so he was able to play that off by asking about what the campus was like and if by any miracle some of the same professors were there.

Eggsy knew that if anyone else had been asking so many questions, he’d tell them to fuck off and quit being so nosey. But there was something really okay about Harry being nosey about these kinds of things. It was one area of his life that Eggsy didn’t feel uncomfortable divulging about. He didn’t know Harry enough to talk about the other parts of his life. Hell, he’d been friends with Alex, Ryan, and Jamal for years and they still didn’t know the details of it all. They had to know some because Eggsy had to explain just why he wasn’t going to be going home anytime soon, but he spared them from as much as he could.

Shit. His roommates. He pulled his phone out of his pocket just enough to check the time. He groaned internally as he realized how late it was He didn’t know where the hours had gone, but he had assignments that were due, that he hadn’t quite started yet, and on top of that he was on cooking duty again for the night. He looked over at Harry with a sigh, not wanting to leave.

“I hate to crash in and run out,” he said as he stood up, “but I’m on dinner duty tonight and I’ve got a paper due.”

“Of course,” Harry nodded understandingly.

“I promise, next time I see you it won’t be under such hectic terms. And hopefully I won’t be crashing through your bathroom window.”

“Just make sure it’s open if you ever have to do it again, glass can be a real pain to replace,” Harry smiled.

Eggsy looked out the front window, silently sighing in relief when he saw that Dean was nowhere to be seen. While he couldn’t see him or any of his goons hanging around that long, he’d been wrong about a lot in the past few days.

“Thanks, Harry. I’m gonna owe you a fuckin’ all-expenses vacation soon.”

Harry laughed, “One for me and my Bond Girl?”

“Exactly.”

“Be safe, Eggsy,” he realized that telling the boy to stay out of trouble was pointless, so he might as well be safe about it.

“Will do,” he nodded and jogged back across the street. He reached into his pocket and pulled his key out. He turned, and when he saw that Harry was still standing in the doorway, he held up his key and gave the man a thumbs up. He saw Harry shake his head, and he could picture the man’s laughter as he disappeared back inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is close to be done. Possibly published tomorrow when I get out of my exam?? Anywho, hope you enjoyed!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *casually gives Eggsy school struggles because I'm having school struggles*
> 
> But! On the upside, I'm done with finals! Back to posting regularly yayyy!!

Eggsy kicked off his shoes as he called out, “Sorry I’m late!”

“We’re all _dying_ ,” Ryan’s voice came from the living room, “Withering away to nothin’.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes, “I’m sure you are. If it was that bad, you’d order in.”

“We only wanna order in if your girlfriend’s delivering,” Jamal called out with a laugh.

Eggsy rolled his eyes, “She’s not my girlfriend. For fuck’s sake.”

“Why are you so touchy about that, anyway?” Jamal asked as Eggsy sat down on the end of the couch opposite from him.

“It’s not _touchy_ ,” Eggsy said defensively, “it’s just, well, there’s nothing going on. It’s never been like that.”

“The look on your face when you first met her says otherwise.”

Eggsy sighed, “That was before I knew anything about her.”

“Why? There a deal-breaker about her now?”

He laughed, “No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just, we’re friends. That’s it. It works just fine for us.”

“Are any of us allowed to try with her?”

“Oh _Hell_ no,” the smile on his face was contagious.

“Aw c’mon now, that’s not fair!” Ryan interjected.

Eggsy rolled his eyes but didn’t respond, knowing that anything he said would just turn into evidence to prove that there was something going on with the two of them. He asked them all what they wanted for dinner, taking requests for one night and one night only to make up for the fact that he was late.

“Where were you tonight anyway?” Alex asked as he helped put the dishes away after dinner, “I thought your classes got over early this afternoon.”

Eggsy shrugged, not wanting to get into the details of it, “I wasn’t much of anywhere really, why?”

“You look fuckin’ wiped, is all.”

He laughed, “Thanks, bruv.”

Alex took the boy’s hat off and messed his already messy hair even further, “It’s just ‘cause I care.”

Eggsy snatched his hat back, rolling his eyes, “Yea, yea. Heard ya say that a million times before.”

“And yet none of you can wrap your thick skulls around it.”

When he finished cleaning up the kitchen, Eggsy hopped in the shower, nearly falling asleep standing up as the hot water relaxed all of his muscles. The bruise on his stomach was hardly noticeable anymore, and the ones on his face were completely gone. Soon enough the pain would be nothing but a memory, albeit a vivid one.

He got out of the shower and pulled on an old pair of grey sweatpants, quietly making his way through the house. His three roommates were passed out. Ryan hadn’t quite made it up to his room, instead falling asleep on the living room couch. Eggsy smirked to himself as he walked in and shut the TV off, draping a blanket over his friend on his way to the kitchen to make himself a small cup of coffee to get him through his paper.

It was only a three page paper, Eggsy told himself, it couldn’t possibly be that challenging to write. And it was for his literature course, which meant it was all about what he thought the theme was, after reading the book and doing a thorough analysis. Granted, he wasn’t much for the type of stories they were going to read in that class, but he could say what the professor wanted to hear.

Two pages in and he was running low on steam, his motivation had dropped into the negatives. He leaned back against his headboard, running his fingers through his hair. He reread his paper, and gave himself a mental pep-talk to get through the last page. As he was writing his final paragraph, he sincerely hoped that writing papers would be less painful as he got farther along in his college career. 

As he got up to put his laptop back into his bag, he saw a light coming in through his bedroom window. He pulled the blinds up enough to peek and see where the light was coming from. He checked the clock by his bed, and he couldn’t help but to wonder why Harry would still be up at 2:30 in the morning. The momentary thought of ringing him up disappeared as quickly as he thought of it as the light across the street went out. Eggsy flopped back onto his bed, lazily pulling the covers up over himself and passing right out.

He woke up to someone relentlessly pounding on his door. Alex’s voice came through, annoyed and tired as ever, “Turn your fuckin’ alarm off, bruv. It’s been going off fer ages.”  
Eggsy rolled and looked at the time on his clock. When his eyes registered, they nearly popped clean out of his skull. He slammed the off button and threw the covers off of him. He tore apart his dresser drawers, grabbing the first clothes he could get his hands on. He burst through the door, nearly slamming Alex in the face with it in the process as he ran to the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face and quickly brushing his teeth. He didn’t even bother brushing his hair, opting to just throw a flatbrim on over it instead. Anything to get out of the house faster.

A slew of curses came out as he ran to his room and grabbed his backpack, slinging it on and getting down the flight of stairs in fewer steps than Alex thought was humanly possible without faceplanting.

“Alex,” Eggsy had never looked so frazzled, “I hate askin’ this but can I borrow your wheels? I’m never gonna make it to class on time if I run, and I got that fuckin’ paper due.”

As much as he hated loaning his car out, he couldn’t say no when Eggsy’s grades were on the line. He sighed as he walked back to his room and grabbed the keys. Before he gave them to Eggsy, though, he looked him in the eyes, “I swear if you wreck ‘er because you’re rushing, I’ll fuckin’ end you, got it?”

“Crystal clear,” Eggsy snatched the keys and ran out the door, “I owe ya, bruv!”

When the door closed behind Eggsy, Ryan called out from the living room, “Why does _he_ get to use the car?”

“’Cause he’s my favorite,” Alex said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.

“’Ave you seen that fucker drive?” he asked as he walked into the kitchen where Alex was making his coffee, “He pulls the craziest shit.”

“I know, I’ve been shotgun when he’s done it,” he laughed, “But he has never left a scratch on a car, no matter what reckless shit he decides to do. That’s the _only_ reason he gets to get behind the wheel.”

Eggsy peeled around the corner, nearly drifting into the first open parking spot he found. He grabbed his bag and jumped out of the driver’s seat, locking the door and quickly double-checking it before taking off up the walkway. Luckily his class was on the side of campus closest to him. He sprinted up the two flights of stairs and down the hall, sliding into the room with only a minute to spare. He took a deep breath as he sat down in his seat and pulled out his paper. Just as he zipped his backpack up again, his professor walked in, skipping any and all pleasantries as he immediately asked for the students’ essays.

He texted Alex, _“Made it. Car’s in 1 piece.”_

Not even a minute later, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He checked it, smiling at Alex’s reply, _“Damn well better be.”_

After that, he assumed the rest of the day would be a cakewalk. If it somehow managed to get more stressful than his morning, he was in some serious shit. He got to his Calc 1 class, collapsing into his chair and running his hands over his face. The boy who’d been sitting next to him since the first day of class offered him some of his Red Bull.

“Looks like you need it more than me,” he said with a laugh.

Eggsy smiled and shook his head, “Nah, but thanks though.”

It was the class that Eggsy had been the most worried about, seeing as how it’s not like he could BS answers like in his other classes. If he didn’t hit the nail on the head, he didn’t get any points. There was no partial credit, really. And it scared the life out of him on the first day of class. But once he started putting his notes into practice, he found that it was one of the easiest classes for him. He didn’t really remember much about what math was like for him back in high school, but he had to assume it was fairly easy. But in high school everything was easy.

“Ay, bruv,” the boy next to him gently nudged his shoulder, “can you help me out for a sec?”

Eggsy leaned over and quietly started re-explaining the theory and how to apply it, speaking in a language that a majority of students would be able to understand, unlike their professor who seemed to forget that the kids in class weren’t certified mathematicians.

He drew a little arrow from the original equation to the final one, “That make sense?”

The boy stared at the paper long and hard, “Um, yea, yea I think so.”

Eggsy smiled, glad to be of assistance to someone for once, “Well, if ya got any more questions, just ask.”

“Thanks, mate. I appreciate it.”

 

Harry knocked, waiting for his cue to enter. When Merlin called for him to come in, he strolled in and quietly shut the door behind him. As usual, there were different things streaming on every one of the hundred different monitors that Merlin had in his office. Harry had no idea how the man kept them all in order, but he assumed there was a system. 

“What’s the news?” Harry asked as he sat down.

“Lancelot thinks that she might have a lead on where Goodwell could’ve gone.”

“How?”

“The governor’s daughter spilled every detail of her time with the man. She told us about the first place he brought her to, and, by the way she described it, it sounds an awful lot like one of our old safe-houses in Switzerland,” he paused, “Which begs the question, how did he know about it?”

“What’s to say that he knew what it was?” Harry countered, “It was an abandoned building in a low-key location. Makes sense that he’d find it.”

“I need you to be honest with me, Harry. I know you always trust your candidates a bit too much for most people’s comfort.”

“You think I showed him something that would potentially compromise the safety of all and any agents in Switzerland?”

“Certainly not with that intention,” Merlin responded honestly.

Harry sighed, “Well, I didn’t show him anything like that. I’m not an idiot, Merlin.”

“Don’t get defensive. I’m not going to get angry, I just need to know so we know where to go from here.”

Harry felt like he was a child being questioned by his father, and he didn’t much care for the feeling. He was a grown man and the way Merlin was speaking to him made him feel like he was a five-year-old who broke his mother’s favorite vase.

“I didn’t show him anything more than what I’ve shown other candidates in the past,” he finally said.

Merlin sighed, not completely convinced, “Alright. Well, I’m sending Lancelot there to scope things out, see if there’s any trace of Goodwell ever being there if he’s not still there now. So if there’s anything at all I should tell her before sending her off…”

“Why not just send me in? I know him better than anyone else here.”

“You’re too attached, Harry. He’s not just a mark to you. He’s, well, I don’t really know what he is to you. But whatever the case may be, it’s compromising.”

Harry bit his tongue, knowing that he couldn’t truly argue with anything that Merlin was telling him. He adjusted his glasses, “Tell her that if she finds him, he will do absolutely anything to get inside her head. I’m sure you warn her about that for every mark, but he’s not like the others. Trust me, he will bend her will over backwards if he finds a weak spot. She needs to appear and sound as though she is made of fucking _iron_ and nothing less.”

Merlin nodded, although he was a bit unsettled. He’d never heard Harry talk like that about anyone, let alone a past candidate. “I’ll be sure to let her know,” he tucked his tablet under his arm and got ready to go meet up with Roxy for a briefing, “You can let yourself out when you want.”

Harry nodded but didn’t say anything as he stared blankly at the sea of monitors in front of him. His thoughts taking him back to years before when they had to propose a candidate. He’d always been one to stray from the beaten path when it came to recommendations, and it pinched the nerves of nearly every other agent. Until Andrew Goodwell came into the picture however, it had never posed a real problem other than ruffling some feathers in the roost. Harry had known from the second he met the boy that there was something a little off about him, but he had the inkling that maybe being a part of Kingsman would straighten him out and reveal that he actually was something special. And, if he had passed all the tests, it probably would have done just that. Except, he didn’t make it that far. The final test is surprisingly what had tripped the boy up; he refused to shoot the dog. When Andrew was told that he wouldn’t be a part of Kingsman because of that fact, he snapped. Harry could hear the words ringing throughout his skull.

“ _What?_ I’m not going to be a Kingsman because I wouldn’t shoot a fucking dog?!”

“You wouldn’t shoot a fucking dog to be a part of Kingsman?” Harry had kept his cool, having dealt with plenty of other failed candidates in the past.

“Why the Hell would I shoot an innocent dog? He didn’t do anything wrong. Is that what you guys here want, people who will mindlessly gun down innocents?”

Harry remembered it because he had never thought of the task that way. The way he saw it was, it was a test to see how well an agent could follow orders and if they could separate their personal attachments from their professional lives. And, even though he knew the bullets were blanks, the candidates didn’t. For all intents and purposes, Goodwell had an excellent point. Without real knowledge of the task the proposals were basically being told to kill something that hadn’t done a damn thing wrong. And that wasn’t what Kingsman was about.

When Andrew returned home, he kept his mouth shut about Kingsman, which wasn’t what Harry had been expecting. But because of that, Harry figured that the boy assimilated back into his normal life as if the trial experience didn’t happen, or it was a dream. Apparently it was all just part of a larger manipulation tactic, one that would be years in implementing.

Thinking about all of it was making Harry’s head start to throb. “I need a drink,” he mumbled to himself. He knew full-well where Merlin kept an excellent stash of liquor, (after all, Merlin only wanted the best in all areas of his life) but he felt like he had to get out of HQ. He wanted to distance himself from it all for a while, as much as he could without causing an issue.

He found himself walking into the Black Prince and taking a seat at the bar. While Harry was normally very picky about his brews, he decided that this time he’d trust the bartender, asking for a glass of whatever he thought was best. After all, he had never actually been inside the pub. Occasionally he passed it if he took the long way home from the shop, but other than that it was more of an enigma. The only reason he thought to go there was because he remembered Eggsy mentioning this was where he got into the fight. Harry didn’t know why that intrigued him so much, but either way it got him there.

When it was finally time for Harry to head home for the evening, he placed money on the bar to cover his drinks, and a little extra. He smoothed out his jacket as he walked to the door, not paying attention to the person who was walking through it from the other direction. Whoever it was, wasn’t paying attention either.

“Oh, my apologies,” Harry immediately said.

“’Arry?” Eggsy’s voice couldn’t hide his laughter, “What’re you doing ‘ere, bruv?”

Harry smiled, relieved to see such a kind face at the end of an extremely long day, “Just grabbed a drink after work.”

“What, didn’t want to be sipping cocktails in Australia? Decided ya wanted to come home for brews this time?”

He laughed, loving how Eggsy threw out the name of a place further and further away almost every time they spoke, “Something like that. How’d that paper go?”

Eggsy rolled his eyes, “You don’t wanna know. This morning was a cluster if ever there was one.”

“You wanna talk about it over a drink?” Harry offered.

Eggsy chuckled, “You’ve probably got places ta be. I won’t keep you from it.”

“Nonsense,” he smiled, “I’m not due to save the world again for another,” he looked down at his watch, “forty-eight hours. You’ve got all that time to tell me about your academic cluster.”

The boy laughed and nodded, “Alright, if you insist. You wanna stay here?”

“It’s either that or I can fly you to Australia.”

“This seems a bit quicker,” Eggsy said with a smirk.

Harry held the door open for him, smiling as Eggsy walked in and over to a booth without giving it a second thought. Harry found it a little endearing how at home Eggsy made himself. The bartender looked over at them as Harry slid in across from Eggsy. The boy held up two fingers and the bartender nodded, immediately grabbing two glasses and filling them with the same beer Eggsy always ordered when he stopped in.

“Thanks,” he said with a wink as the man set the drinks down.

“These goin’ on your tab too?” he asked with a laugh as he walked back to the bar.

Eggsy laughed but inside his stomach tightened a bit, “Nah, not this time.”

Harry took a sip of his beer, surprised at Eggsy’s good taste. He finally asked, “So, any particular reason your morning was so difficult to survive?”

Eggsy groaned, “Aight, let me tell you…” he proceeded to recount what his morning was like, using more profanities and colorful language than what was really necessary. It was nice to just be able to vent to someone like that. He’d complained to his roommates about plenty, sure enough, but there was something different about Harry wanting to listen. Eggsy wrote it off as it was cool to have someone who didn’t need anything from him wanting to know about his day, but he knew that there was more to it than that, even if he didn’t know exactly what it was. Either way, he found himself going off, using more hand gestures to reenact his story than an Italian.

Harry smiled as he watched Eggsy recount his day. The boy was so full of life and enthusiasm. While it was fueled by anger in the moment, he knew that Eggsy had a lot to offer if people asked the right questions. Eggsy was all but drawing diagrams in the air and Harry fought to contain his laughter. He wondered if this was how Eggsy told all of his stories. He hoped it was.

“So yea,” Eggsy said as he picked up his glass, “that was my morning.”

“Well,” he finally let out the laugher he’d been holding in, “I’m glad you managed to survive all of that. Would’ve been a shame if it killed you.”

 

Eggsy chuckled, “Yea, that. But I swear, if all of college is this stressful, this will be my first and last year. Fuckin’ Hell.”

“It’s less stressful when you get things done ahead of time,” Harry reminded him with a smile.

Eggsy rolled his eyes, voice heavy with sarcasm, “Aight, let’s not get crazy. Sounds a bit too logical.”

“Ah, yes, sorry. I forgot we don’t do that.”

“Only thing ya gotta remember about me, ‘Arry,” Eggsy said with a laugh.

Harry smiled as Eggsy finished off his drink. The boy got up to pay for the both of them, but Harry gave a dismissive wave, “I’ve got this.”

Eggsy shook his head, “Don’ worry, I’ve gotta pay off my tab anyway. I try not to leave it hangin’ too long or I’ll forget,” he saw the slightly frustrated look on Harry’s face, “You can cover the next one, yea?”

A grin found its way back onto Harry’s face, more at the prospect of there being a _next one_ than anything else, “Alright, that seems fair.”

Eggsy tossed cash onto the surface of the bar and gave a courteous nod and thank you to the bartender before turning back to Harry. “You ready to take off?”

Harry stood up and straightened his jacket and glasses, “I think so.”

The two of them walked out of the pub together, and it was then that they realized that they both had to drive home. It was a whole new experience for the both of them. Normally Eggsy was just walking himself home. Except for that one time Harry picked him up at the station. But this time they were both driving themselves. They stood in front of the pub, both a little awkward and not sure what they were supposed to say.

“I’m parked at the end of the block,” Eggsy gestured behind him, “So I’ll see ya ‘round?”

“Yes. And Eggsy,” Harry said as the boy walked away, “it was nice to see you under more relaxed terms.”

The boy smiled, “Yea, wasn’t half bad, was it?” 


	11. Chapter 11

The days started flying by as Eggsy got more and more wrapped up in his schoolwork. It wasn’t as easy as he remembered it all being in high school, but he was still able to stay above water with it all. Part of the reason was because Anna had taken it upon herself to be Eggsy’s study-buddy and keep him on track. He’d roll his eyes and call her Mum more often than was really necessary, but deep down he appreciated it. He was smart, but he wasn’t always focused.

“You still coming over tonight?” he asked as they walked off the campus.

She nodded, “As long as you’ll still have me.”

He laughed, “Like I’d ever turn you away.”

They said goodbye as Anna headed off to go to work and Eggsy made his way back home to get a start on studying, wanting to see if he was capable of doing it without someone there to keep an eye on him.

As he walked by Harry’s house, he thought about how it had been quiet there for a really long time. The lights hadn’t been on in a while. He didn’t remember Harry saying anything about travelling off again, not that he really cared to mention those things to begin with. Eggsy knew it really wasn’t any of his business, but that only made him want to know even more. He forced himself to focus on the problems at hand as he walked up the path to his house. He unlocked the front door, calling out to see if anyone was home. When there was no answer, he smiled to himself as he threw his iPod on the speaker and got his music blasting throughout the whole house. Alex always hated it when he did that, saying it was going to get them in trouble with the neighbors, but this time Eggsy justified it by saying it was the afternoon and no one else the neighborhood was home, so there was no one to be bothered.

He was sprawled out on his back on his bed, book laying on his face, when Ryan got home. He walked into Eggsy’s room and before saying anything, snapped a picture and sent it to their other two roommates. He walked in and flipped the book off of Eggsy’s face, causing the boy to sit up quickly and slam his forehead into Ryan’s chin. Both of them cursed aloud before looking at each other and bursting into laughter.

“Love seeing you be productive like this, Eggsy. It’s reassuring.” 

“Oh shut up,” Eggsy chuckled as he rubbed the sore spot on his forehead, “I was doing alright for a while, but then I just couldn’t do it anymore.”

Ryan just shook his head as he walked out of the room, calling back, “Ya might wanna turn the music down. Alex is gonna be home in a few.”

He sighed as he pushed himself off the bed and padded down the stairs, swiping his iPod as he went, and the house fell silent without the music blaring. He walked into the living room and turned the TV on, just to have some background noise. He couldn’t remember the last time the house was silent. Even at night, there was Ryan’s snoring to keep the quiet from being too overwhelming.

There was a knock at the door, and Eggsy smiled when he opened it, seeing Anna laden with textbooks and notebooks. “You’ve got a backpack, y’know.”

She laughed, “My laptop and other textbook are in there.”

The two of them made their way up to Eggsy’s room, disregarding Ryan’s comment of, “You know the rules, the bedroom door stays open at all times!”

“Sorry ‘bout that,” Eggsy said with a laugh as he shut the door behind them.

“They really don’t let things go, do they?”

“Ta be fair, I’d do the same to them if they were in this situation.”

“You guys are all _so_ nice to each other.”

Anna sat cross-legged on Eggsy’s bed, pulling her laptop and textbook out of her backpack before tossing it across to the door. She flipped through all of her notes, opening them to the ones that were most relevant for what their exam was on the next day. She asked Eggsy if he had done any studying at all on his own.

“’Course I did!” he gave her an offended look.

She laughed, “Don’t be so soft about it; I know how much you hate studying.”

He smirked, “Yea, I was only able to focus for like twenty minutes. After that I just laid in bed and prayed the knowledge would just get at me through my skin.”

“Not the most effective,” she smiled, “but you tried.”

The both of them dove into their notes, each having a million questions about what they were supposed to have memorized by the next morning. Eggsy eventually found himself sitting on the floor, back resting against the side of his bed, and Anna was laid on her back, head dangling off the edge of the bed right by Eggsy. She held her notes and started quizzing him on the general terms that they were supposed to know, and he listed them off while flipping through his notebook, reading over experiments done ages ago that they were responsible for knowing.

Neither of them paid any attention to the time, and didn’t bother to grab anything for dinner. Eggsy had food stashed away in his room for when he was hungry but too lazy to get out of bed and go downstairs, so they broke into that, munching as they drilled more knowledge into their heads than they really cared to.

Anna dropped her notebook on the floor, groaning and running her hands over her face in exhaustion. Eggsy smiled at her, “Gettin’ a little worn there, Doll?”

“I just want it to be tomorrow so we can get this over with.”

“Don’t stress so bad about it. I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

“How do you _not_ stress about it?”

“’Cause it’s not the end of the world. It ain’t gonna kill me if I do bad on one test, either.”

There was a knock at the door, and Alex opened it, poking his head inside. “Just wanted to make sure you were still alive up here. It got awful quiet.”

“Anna’s hangin’ on by a thread,” Eggsy said with a laugh, “but we’ll manage.”

“Aight, well, I’m going to sleep. I’ll see ya in the morning, Eggsy. G’night, Anna.”

“Night,” they both called back as Alex shut the door.

“He seems cool,” Anna said as she looked at the closed bedroom door.

Eggsy shrugged with a smile, “He ain’t half bad.”

“You two cousins or something?”

He shook his head, laughing, “Not that I’m aware of, why?”

“You get on really well. I was just curious.”

“Nah, we just treat each other like family.”

“Where is your family, anyway?”

“Hmm?” Eggsy looked up from the page he was on.

“Your family…what are they like? Where do they live?”

Eggsy felt his stomach twist; it certainly wasn’t a conversation he wanted to be having with anyone at the moment, especially Anna. She wasn’t ready for that kind of honesty. He didn’t know how to weasel his way out of it without making it blatantly obvious that there was something wrong in that area of his life.

“Me mum and little sister live with my sister’s dad,” he said it calmly enough.

“What about your dad?”

“Died when I was little,” his voice was softer than he had intended it to be.

“Oh,” Anna sat upright and ran her fingers through her hair, “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s aight,” he tossed his notebook on top of the pile the two of them had created.

“What time is it, anyway?”

Eggsy pulled his phone out of his pocket, laughing as he showed her the clockface.

“ _Shit_ ,” she laughed as she jumped up off the bed, “my mum’s gonna kill me.”

“You were here studying, Anna. It’s not like you were out shaggin’ random guys, yea?”

She rolled her eyes as she stuffed as many things as she could into her bag, “I’m sure she’ll believe me. Christ, Eggsy, it’s almost midnight.”

“I’ll walk ya back, then.”

“What? No, don’t be ridiculous.”

“You’re lit’rally two blocks down, Anna. And if it’ll keep your mum from losin’ her shit I’ve got no problem with it.”

“You sure?” she asked him as they quietly made their way down the stairs.

“’Course,” he held the door open for her.

They walked over to Anna’s house in a comfortable silence. It was getting to that time of year when soon it wouldn’t be comfortable to just wear a sweatshirt outside. Anna rubbed her hands up and down her arms, fighting off the goosebumps.

When they got to the front door, Eggsy reached forward to knock, but Anna put her hand on top of his and gave him an amused look. It took him a moment, but when he realized he smiled and shook his head.

“Can ya tell it’s been a long day?”

She laughed, “Lil bit, yea.”

She opened the door and her mother was standing right on the other side of it. Eggsy hadn’t ever seen Anna’s mom look annoyed or frustrated, so he was assuming the look she was giving them in that moment was exactly what he had been missing. He quickly began to apologize, putting on his best smile and nervously tucking his hands into his pockets.

“I’m so sorry it’s this late. We didn’t even look at the time, and we honestly wouldn’t have realized how late it was if my friend didn’t give us a heads-up,” he paused, “It’s my fault, really. I just completely stopped paying attention. Won’t happen again, I promise.”

Her face softened and she had to smile, “It’s alright, Eggsy. I’m glad the two of you were being productive. Thank you for walking her over. Have a good night.”

He nodded, “You too, Ma’am.”

Anna stepped forward and gave him a quick hug, “I’ll see you tomorrow, yea?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he chuckled, “’Specially after all that work we just did.”

She smiled, “Goodnight, Eggsy.”

He fought back a yawn, his exhaustion hitting him all at once, “Night, Anna.”

He made it back to his house, padding silently up the stairs and curling underneath his blankets. He set his alarm as loud as he could, determined not to have a repeat experience of what had happened earlier in the year. He turned off the light, falling asleep as soon as he shut his eyes.

He texted Anna as he left the house the next morning, making sure she was up. She’d been exhausted the night before, and he had to imagine that Tired Anna was a lot like Drunk Anna. When they had been walking back he was all but carrying her. He didn’t mind, but he also didn’t think that she even noticed it.

His phone started buzzing, and he saw Anna’s name flash across the screen. He chuckled as he answered it, “Ay, you alright?”

“Yea, yea I’m fine. Slow down, would ya?”

He turned around, laughing as he saw her jogging down the sidewalk to catch up with him. It was the first time that they’d ever walked to class together. When they got to the lecture hall, there were students that they had never seen before. Eggsy’s eyes grew wide and he looked at Anna, not even having to ask the question.

“Exam day brings everyone out of the woodworks.”

“Apparently,” he sat down in the same seat he’d always taken since the first day.

“You ready for this?” she nudged his shoulder with her own.

He laughed, “Well I sure fuckin’ hope so.”

 

Harry paced around the top floor of the safe house. Roxy had confirmed that Goodwell had been there, but he was long gone by the time she showed up. As soon as Harry heard that, he told Merlin that he was going out there to help her gather any intel that they could. At first Merlin wanted to keep him as far away from the situation as he possibly could, but if anyone in the agency could have any idea as to where Goodwell might head off to, it’d be Harry.

“What was he like?” Roxy asked as she sifted through files.

“Who?”

“Goodwell. What was he like before he, y’know, went off the handle?”

Harry sighed, taking a seat in the chair next to Roxy’s, “Much like every other young man with a temper problem, I suppose. He was strong and incredibly smart. He had such, such a way of working people, and he did it so easily.”

“That why you chose him?”

“Partly. I thought that this would give him a chance to have a fair start with something. He didn’t have anywhere to go but upwards.”

“Merlin said you had a habit of picking candidates like that.”

Harry laughed, “Oh I’m sure he did.”

“Harry, I’ve got to ask, what did Goodwell know about Kingsman operations by the time he left? I know you said he didn’t know that this place was Kingsman, and I believe you. But there’s no way that he left totally clueless.”

Harry took a deep breath, removing his glasses and tucking them away so Merlin wouldn’t be able to hear what he was saying. Roxy saw what he had done and discreetly reached up and shut off the listening setting on her earpiece.

He began to explain to her why he had told Andrew everything that he had. It wasn’t something as simple as he wanted Goodwell to be motivated enough to stay and work through all the tests. While that was a part of it, moreover he wanted the boy to realize that it was more than just a chance to go fight crime and save the world.

“I thought,” Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, “that it was alright because I was controlling what he knew. But as it turns out, I was letting myself get blindsided.”

“He got you, didn’t he?”

He nodded, “I didn’t even fucking realize it. He knows exactly what to say to get what he wants. And I knew that about him, that was part of the reason I thought he’d be a good agent if he found a solid place to put his loyalties. But then it all just got so out of hand.”

“Counted your chickens before they hatched.”

“Unfortunately that’s exactly what I did. And I’m still paying for it, apparently,” he reached into his pocket and pulled his glasses out. It was the most polite and calm way for him to let Roxy know that the conversation was over.

“I think I’m going to call it a night, Harry,” she stood up and stretched, “Is there anything else you want me to do?”

He shook his head, “No, that’s alright. Get some rest, Lancelot. You’ve done a lot these past few days.”

“Call out if you need me,” she rested her hand on his shoulder as she walked by to get to her room. She shut the door and slipped into her pajamas. She sat on her bed, started up her laptop, and video-requested Merlin.

“Lancelot, what’s the news?”

“Still nothing, Merlin. I feel like this is a dead end. I feel like it’s supposed to be a dead end.”

“You think it’s a distraction?”

“A very effective one.”

“How’s Galahad holding up?”

“Besides driving himself absolutely mental? He’s fine.”

Merlin wore his concern on his face plain as day, “The chances of convincing him to come home within the next few days?”

“Am I allowed to knock him out with a dart? Because that changes the probabilities a bit.”

Merlin laughed and shook his head. Roxy was very business-oriented as an agent, but she knew when to drop one-liners and get Merlin to crack a smile. “Soon enough I might just let you, Lancelot.”

“I eagerly await the day.”

He couldn’t stop himself from smiling. Roxy was sitting there cross-legged on her bed in a baggy t-shirt, with her hair up in a messy ponytail, looking as young and unthreatening as ever, and yet she was talking about knocking a fellow agent unconscious with a medicated dart. In that moment she was the textbook definition of juxtaposition. “Alright, Lancelot, I’ll let you get some rest. I’ll speak with you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Merlin.” 

The following afternoon, Roxy sat down with Harry and explained to him just exactly what she thought was going on. She told him how she thought that this was some kind of wild goose chase, a red herring if you will. Harry couldn’t deny that it was a very strong possibility, but he wasn’t ready to call it quite yet.

“If you want to go home, Lancelot, I completely understand.”

“You’re in no state to be left here by yourself.”

“Pardon?”

“How many hours of sleep have you gotten in total this week, Galahad?” when he didn’t offer up an answer, Roxy gave a definitive nod, “That’s what I thought. I’ll stay as long as you do, but you’re not going to be staying that much longer.”

“I wish we had you around before, Lancelot,” Merlin spoke into her ear, “No one else can talk to him like that without getting shot with a dart.”

Roxy smiled triumphantly to herself as she swiped a few of the files off the table that Harry was attempting to clear. He shuffled a few papers around to make room for his laptop. He sifted through his emails, most of them from other agents with any lingering information that they had on Goodwell, his aliases, and his coworkers. He had a surprisingly large and obscure network of people. That was half of what was keeping Harry on edge, because if he knew Goodwell as well as he thought, some of the most ruthless and manipulative people could be working with him. It was a frightening prospect.

That evening, Roxy set a digital timer in the center of the table. “Forty-eight hours, Galahad. In forty-eight hours we will leave this place exactly as we found it, and we will go home.”

“Since when are you such a mother hen, Lancelot?”

“Since apparently that’s what you need right now and Merlin isn’t here to do it for me.”

Harry rolled his eyes but didn’t argue her point any further. He knew that once Roxy had her mind set on something there wasn’t any changing it, especially in situations like the one they were in.

 

Eggsy was walking home from class one afternoon when he saw a car parked at the end of Harry’s driveway, but the car wasn’t Harry’s. He still hadn’t been home and part of Eggsy was a little worried and then the more logical part said that Harry was a grown man and could take care of himself. However when there were strangers at his house Eggsy figured that’d be as good of a time as any to step in and see what was going on.

He strolled over and walked up to the front porch where the man was standing, “C’n I help you with somefin’?”

The man turned and flashed a charming smile, cradling a small dog in his hands, “Ah, you just might be able to. Do you know the man who lives here?”

Eggsy gave him a questioning look, sliding his hand into his jeans pocket where he kept his knife, “A bit, yea. As well as most neighbors know each other.”

“Do you know when he’ll be home?”

“Prob’ly not very soon, bruv. ‘E travels a lot.”

“Mm, yes, I see, I see,” the small pug squirmed in the man’s arms, so he set him on the ground, “Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite.”

Eggsy knelt down and held his hand out. The dog waddled over and sniffed his hand, instantly warming up to him as he sat down and let Eggsy scratch behind his ears.

“He likes you.”

“What’s ‘is name?”

“Bourne.”

“Like Jason?”

“The very same.”

“What’s your name?”

“Call me Andy,” he held his hand out for Eggsy to shake.

Eggsy stood up, brushing the dirt off his knees before shaking the man’s hand, “Nice to meet you, Andy.”

He made a point not to say his own name, mostly didn’t like the vibe he was getting from this man. He didn’t know what it was about him but he didn’t quite trust it. Maybe it was the fact that Harry never really had visitors and now this man was showing up out of nowhere while Harry was away. Regardless, Eggsy wasn’t leaving until he did.

“Well,” the man scooped the dog back up, “Next time you see Mr. Hart, will you let him know I tried to stop in and see him?”

“Sure thing.” Eggsy made no move to leave as Andy walked back to his car, placing the dog delicately in the passenger seat.

Once the car was out of sight, Eggsy made his way back across the street. When he walked inside, Alex asked him who the guy was at Harry’s. Eggsy shrugged and gave a brief overview of the conversation, not that much was said. It was more of a mental impression that Eggsy got from him.

“You talk to him, bruv?”

“Who, Harry?” when Alex nodded Eggsy gave a simple shrug, “Yea, he’s a nice enough guy. Little posh, like you guys all said, but he seems aight,” he paused, “Are you…are you cooking?”

Alex rolled his eyes, “I have the ability, y’know.”

“No, actually, I wouldn’t know,” Eggsy laughed, “because I’m almost always the one who’s stuck cooking. I don’t mind it, mate, I really don’t, but yea I have no idea how good of a cook you are.”

Alex laughed, “I know you’ve got exams coming up soon so I figured I’d give you a break.”

He smiled, “’Preciate it, bruv.”

Eggsy made his way up to his room, tossing his backpack aside as he pulled out his phone. He scrolled through his contacts and landed on Harry’s name. He contemplated texting him or calling him, for the sole reason of letting him know that some strange man showed up at his house, but he couldn’t force himself to hit the call button. The one time he’d be reaching out and not asking for any kind of weird, circumstantial assistance, he froze.

After locking and unlocking his phone a few times, he mumbled, “Fuck it,” and called. It rang and rang, and finally Harry’s voicemail sounded. Eggsy found himself stammering, “Um, hey, hey Harry. It’s, it’s Eggsy. I just wanted to um, I just wanted to call and let ya know that there was someone at your house today? It wasn’t me this time,” he laughed, “But yea there was this guy with his dog. Said his name was, was Andy. Wanted to talk to ya I guess. Hope you’re okay. Things have been pretty quiet ‘round here since ya left. So, yea, I guess that’s it. See ya soon, ‘Arry.”

 

Roxy pounded on the door to Harry’s bedroom, “Harry, you awake in there?”

A few moments later the door opened, revealing a very disheveled and still half-asleep Harry Hart, “Well, I am now, Lancelot. Is there something I can help you with?”

“Your phone was ringing,” she held it out to him, “Someone named Gary? He left you a voicemail.”

“Shit,” Harry mumbled as he unlocked his phone. He looked back at the girl, “Thank you, Roxy. I appreciate it.”

“Everything alright?”

Harry held the phone up to his ear, “We’re about to find out.”

As he listened to the voicemail, he couldn’t quite make up his mind about how he was feeling. His initial thought, which perhaps it shouldn’t have been, was that it was just nice to hear the boy’s voice after being away from home for so long. He pushed those thoughts aside, though, as it sank in with him that not only did Andrew Goodwell find his way to Harry’s house, but he talked to Eggsy. He went from comforted to anxious in a matter of seconds.

“We need to go,” he said to Roxy, “as soon as possible.”

“I’ll start packing.” She didn’t ask questions; she didn’t need to. She trusted Harry enough to the point where if he said it was time to go, then it was definitely time to go.

As Harry was packing up his things, he called Eggsy back, happy to be greeted by the boy’s voice and not his voicemail, “Eggsy, sorry I didn’t answer your call. Was caught up in a few things.”

“It’s aight, bruv. Where’ve ya been? Anywhere sweet? Anywhere warm?”

Harry laughed, “I wish I could say yes,” he paused, “Eggsy, what did the man who showed up today look like?”

“Like any other bloke, I guess. Muscular, light hair. Honestly, Harry, he looked like ‘e shoulda been wearing camo, not a fancy suit like the shit you wear.”

Harry laughed, “Ah, alright, thank you.”

“Who is ‘e, anyway?”

“A past colleague of mine. Did you, what did you tell him?”

“Jus’ that you weren’t home. He said to let you know he stopped by.”

“Alright, thank you very much, Eggsy. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Ay, ‘Arry,” he couldn’t stop himself, “When’re ya comin’ home?”

Harry smiled, thankful Eggsy couldn’t see him, “I’ll be home sometime tomorrow, actually.”

“Oh, aight, I’ll see ya soon, then.”

“Goodbye, Eggsy,” he hung up the phone and slid it back into his pocket. From the sounds of it the boy didn’t have much of a conversation with Goodwell, which was great news because it would keep him out of the line of fire, metaphorically and literally.

“You get all that, Merlin?” Harry asked.

“Every word.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because their worlds can't stay separate forever, right?


	12. Chapter 12

When they got back home, Roxy offered to go to Harry’s with him to help bring all of this things inside and unpack. He assured her that he’d be just fine but she insisted. It was more of a self-serving thing on her end. She had seen how shaken Harry was after finding out Goodwell had turned up on his doorstep, and she just wanted to make sure there was nothing out of place.

She lifted his last suitcase out and shut the trunk of the car. When she turned around, she saw a young boy standing at the end of Harry’s driveway. She smiled, “Can I help you?”

“Um, yea, I’m a frienda Harry’s.”

She raised her eyebrows in surprise, “Oh, hello,” she held her hand out, “I’m Roxanne, but call me Roxy.”

He stepped forward and shook her hand, “I’m Eggsy.”

“Eggy?”

He chuckled, “No, Egg _s_ y.”

“Pleasure to meet you. How do you know Harry?”

He gestured back to his house, “I live across the street. I’m assuming you work with ‘im?”

“Did the matching suit give me away?” she laughed.

“Just a bit.”

Harry walked back out of the house and saw the two of them talking and laughing by the end of the driveway. Eggsy looked over at the front door, a smile spreading across his face when he saw Harry. He waved and Harry slowly made his way down the driveway.

“I see you’ve met my colleague.”

Eggsy laughed, “I like her more than the other one I met.”

“About that,” Roxy started.

Harry gave a dismissive wave, “It’s alright, Roxy. I’ll talk to him about it.”

She looked back and forth between the two of them, “I’ll bring this inside then.”

As she rolled the suitcase up the walkway, Harry turned back to Eggsy and asked him more about what had happened between him and Goodwell, what he asked and what Eggsy told him.

“I didn’t tell him anythin’, ‘Arry. I didn’t even tell him my name. I didn’t like the vibe I got from ‘im. And, judging by the way you’re talking you don’t care much for him either.”

“No, that I do not. Andrew and I got into some…discrepancies a long time ago. Letting bygones be bygones isn’t one of his stronger qualities.”

“Do I gotta be worried ‘bout you?”

Harry laughed and shook his head, “You just need to worry about yourself, Eggsy. That seems like a full-time job all its own.”

“And you would know?” Eggsy smirked.

Harry gave a soft smile but didn’t say anything in response to the question. After a few moments of quiet, he asked, “So did you manage to stay out of trouble while I was gone? Or did you have to bust through a window or two in my absence?”

“All the windows are intact.”

“Glad to hear it. You’re alright though?”

Eggsy nodded, “’Course. Glad to see you come home without any new battle wounds for once.”

Harry chuckled, “Every now and then I catch some luck.”

“Well, I’d offer to help but it seems like you’ve got that pretty under control,” he looked over at Roxy, who was leaning against the doorframe, “So I’ll see ya ‘round. Welcome home.”

“Thank you, Eggsy. It’s nice to be back.”

Eggsy jogged across the street and into his house. When Harry walked back up to Roxy, she had an amused expression on her face. Harry sighed, shaking his head. He knew that whether or not he asked, she would tell him exactly what she was thinking.

“Don’t say it,” Harry said as he walked by her on his way upstairs to his room.

She followed him, laughing the entire way, “Say what, Harry? Is there something that I should know?”

He gave her an exasperated look, “Merlin thinks the boy is a pest, and judging by the grin on your face you have him placed on the entire opposite end of the spectrum.”

“I think it’s good for you. I’ve never seen you fawn over someone.”

“I’m not _fawning_ , Roxy. I’m an adult.”

“Your point being…?”

He rolled his eyes, “Hand me my jacket?”

Roxy proceeded to take one piece of clothing out at a time, unfold it, and hand it to Harry to either hang up or refold and tuck away in a drawer. She smiled at the meticulousness with which he had everything in his house. It didn’t really surprise her, after all when he was working everything was always tied up with a neat bow when it was done. Well, almost everything.

“Mind if I wander around a bit?” she asked as Harry pulled clothes out of the last suitcase, “I’ve never been inside your house before.”

He smiled and shrugged, “By all means. Just put things back when you’re done.”

“Yes, _Merlin_ , I’ll be sure to do that,” she laughed as she wandered out and down the hall.

She stepped into the spare bedroom and started snooping around. She looked in the closet and dresser, which were both mostly empty save a few t-shirts and pairs of flannel pants. Sometimes she forgot that Harry really did wear clothes that weren’t Kingsman suits. She sat down at the small desk and skimmed through the papers on top of it, hoping to come across something that would give her a little more insight into the closed book that was Harry Hart.

She looked at the few photo frames that decorated the desk. There were a few from a long time back, so long in fact that Merlin was still in the field going on missions with Harry. She chuckled to herself; Merlin had always thought it strange when she and other younger agents took selfies together on missions, but they had all done the same thing with their teams, just in a different way.

There was a smaller photo, taped to the wall behind the desk. It was a polaroid of what looked like a very young Harry and Merlin. She gently removed it from the wall and flipped it over, looking at the date on the back. The two of them couldn’t have been too much older than her at the time the picture was taken. She smiled at how the two of them looked, streaked with mud with their arms around each other’s shoulders, grinning like a couple of children.

She walked back to Harry’s room, picture still in her hands, “You knew Merlin before Kingsman?”

Harry looked over at her, instantly knowing what she was looking at when he spotted the polaroid. He smiled and shook his head, “No. Well, I did, yes. But that photo was taken after he and I were already a part of the agency.”

“Merlin still had hair while he was working with Kingsman?”

“Not for very long,” Harry said with a laugh. He gently took the photo from her hands, looking at it for a moment and smiling before giving it back to her.

“You both look so happy.”

Harry slid his now empty suitcase underneath his bed, “Things were a lot simpler back then. Everything is simpler when you’re twenty-something and invincible though I suppose.”

“How far apart were the two of you recruited?”

“Oh, I’d say he was recruited about three years before I was. But that’s a guestimate. Obviously he couldn’t tell me the exact moment he was pulled into the whole thing.”

“Were you his candidate? Because that would make a great story.”

Harry laughed, “No, no I wasn’t. I don’t think that he would’ve wanted to pull me into something like this at that point. He worried too much.”

“Some things never change,” she said with a smile as she looked at the photograph in her hands. There was something really satisfying about the two of them having known each other for so long, even before they knew what Kingsman was.

“Are you content, Miss Morton? Can I bring you back to HQ now that you know my home is officially Goodwell-free?”

She laughed and nodded, “Yes, I suppose you can. I’ll just go put this back on the wall.”

As the two of them drove back to HQ, Roxy couldn’t help but to ask, “Harry, why do you think he’s coming back after all this time? I mean, he was underground and profiting plenty, why blow all that?”

“He’s a sociopath. I’m afraid I can’t try to explain his motives.”

“When did you know?”

“Know what, that there was something deeply wrong with him?”

“Yes. Because from the way you say it, he wasn’t always this way, not this bad.”

Harry sighed, “I don’t think there was an exact moment. I didn’t see or hear much about him once he was sent back from the program. I kept tabs on him a bit, just to make sure he wasn’t saying anything about what he had been through and learned and seen. I took a hiatus from it though, after being told on too many occasions that it wasn’t good for me. When I finally returned to it, he’d more or less fallen off the grid, but what I found wasn’t promising.”

Roxy sat there, absolutely bewildered. She couldn’t imagine being so angry about something that she’d resort to the things that Goodwell had. Granted, they couldn’t be more different if they tried, but it was something that she couldn’t wrap her head around. “What, what had he gotten into?”

Harry shook his head, “Nothing good for him. Managed to get in touch with an organization we’d been working to take down. Caused the whole thing to drop back underground off our radar.”

It was finally starting to truly sink in with Roxy just what kind of information Harry had inadvertently shared with Goodwell, “You’re jokng…”

“I sincerely wish I was. Honestly, we haven’t stopped working to take them down since.”

“What on Earth do these people work with that it’s been this long in getting them?”

“An easier question would be what _don’t_ they work with.”

Roxy was silent for a few moments, trying to wrap her head around it all, “Why don’t we have more agents on this?”

“It’s like trying to follow up on a ghost story, Roxy. We don't have a substantial amount definitive information and we can’t afford to waste agents’ time on things we don’t know enough about.”

It was disheartening to hear. While she’d only been a part of Kingsman for a short amount of time, especially compared to how long Harry and Merlin had been immersed in it, she still had infinite amounts of faith. She’d seen agents save the world a few times over, and she couldn’t believe that there was something that was capable of floating under their radar for so long.

“Do you think it will end when you get Goodwell?”

“I’d like to hope so.”

“Did it change the way you chose candidates?”

Harry sighed, “In a way. I learned that there was a fine line between troubled and broken. I just wish that it didn’t take the compromising of our entire agency to learn that,” he looked over at her once he parked the car, “This isn’t of your concern right now. I want you to remember that.”

“There must be something I can do to help.”

“As soon as there is, I’ll let you know. Or Merlin will.”

She sighed, not happy but she knew that Harry would stick to his word. They walked into HQ, ready to touch base with Merlin and figure out exactly where they were and what their next move would be. He informed Roxy that for the time being, her missions weren’t going to cross lines with what Harry was working on with Goodwell. She protested, but Merlin shut her down by informing her that she was needed elsewhere, where she would be able to do more and help more people. He also told Harry that his only mission was to find out where Goodwell had disappeared to, and he could complete that from the comfort and safety of HQ.

“You’re putting me under house arrest?”

“Arthur’s orders.”

“Really?” Harry gave him a disbelieving look, “Arthur proposed that idea?”

“No, but he agreed to it.”

“You can’t keep me in a bubble, Merlin.”

Merlin raised his eyebrows, “Watch me.”

 

There was a honking outside of Eggsy’s house. He laughed as he flipped up his hood and left the house, shouting a goodbye to all of his roommates as he closed the door behind him. He smiled as he saw Anna sitting in the driver’s seat of the car, beaming at him. He hopped in so he was riding shotgun.

“So, these’re the new wheels?”

She nodded, “Mum didn’t want me walking everywhere in the winter. Last year I managed to get rides or whatever, but this just seemed like a smarter option.”

He reached forward and turned up the radio, smiling as Anna whipped around the corner and onto the main road. They drove to campus, with nothing passing between them besides song lyrics. Anna couldn’t hide her surprise at the fact that Eggsy wasn’t half bad at singing. He might never get a record deal, but he was better than she had given him credit for in her mind.

“Oh,” he pointed to the next aisle of cars, “there’s a spot over there.”

When they got to the lecture hall, Eggsy couldn’t help but to notice that there were more kids in than usual. It wasn’t an exam day, but ever since their professor started talking about their final exam coming up, more and more seats became filled, just like they had been at the very start of the semester. He couldn’t believe that he was almost through his first semester of college. More accurately, he couldn’t believe that he hadn’t died from stress and exhaustion. His procrastination hadn’t quite gone away yet, although between Alex and Anna it was slowly being tamed out of him.

“I can’t believe finals are so soon,” Anna said with a groan as Eggsy walked with her to her next class, “I told my mom that soon enough it’s going to be like she never had me in the first place, because if I’m not in class I’ll be at work, and if I’m not at work I’ll be in the library.”

“Goin’ off the grid?” he said with a laugh.

“At the end of every semester,” she patted him on the back, “You’ll understand soon, Eggsy.”

“Dragging me with you?”

“I only take the willing.”

He gave her a hug and placed a quick, reassuring kiss on the top of her head, “You’ll be fine, Anna. Ya made it through one year already, yea?”

“One down, three to go.”

“That’s the spirit. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“I’ll pick you up again if you want? It’s gotta beat walking in the cold.”

“Ya don’t have to, but if you want I ain’t gonna say no.”

She smiled, “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Later.”

When he got out of class that day, there was a part of him that wanted to pop on over to his mom’s. He hadn’t seen her or Daisy in a long time and he was missing them dearly, but he didn’t want to push his luck. He hadn’t run into Dean or any of his lot for a record length of time. His mom had called him a couple times to touch base and make sure he was alright, but it wasn’t the same as actually being in the same room together.

He walked into the Black Prince, sitting down in the booth on the far side of the bar like he usually did. The after-work rush was just starting to flow in. Eggsy knew a lot of faces, and hardly any names. He liked it that way.

He looked over as he heard the door open again, and saw Jay walk in. He immediately looked down at his drink, not wanting any trouble with the kid. However, Jay didn’t seem to share the same sentiment as he sat down across from Eggsy in the booth.

“Long time, no see.”

“Yea,” Eggsy said as he leaned back and looked at the boy, “Shame that hadta change.”

“I don’t want you hangin’ around Anna anymore.”

“I don’t think that’s really your call.”

“Leave her alone, aight?”

“Not that I need to justify this,” he took a sip of his beer, “But her and I have classes together. There’s really no avoiding her for me.”

“Find a way.”

“Or what?”

“I know how you feel about her. Either find a way to leave ‘er be or you’ll regret that you didn’t, ya get me?”

Eggsy swallowed hard. He knew that no matter how many times he explained that his friendship with Anna was just a friendship, it wouldn’t get him anywhere. And as much as he wanted to call Jay’s bluff, he didn’t want to risk the girl’s safety over it. He tested the water a little more, “And what’ll that get you, huh? If ya got an issue, fine. Have it out with me though, yea? She didn’t do anythin’.”

“Fine. Ya wanna have this out right now?”

“Ya wanna get your ass kicked in right now?” Eggsy wouldn’t have been so bold if Jay had any of Dean’s gang with him, but solo he had confidence that he could kick the shit out of the kid sitting across from him with minimal problems.

Jay laughed, “Pretty ballsy, aren’t ya?”

“Did it once,” Eggsy’s shit-eating grin could press anyone’s buttons, “I’m willin’ ta bet I c’n do it again,” he slid his hand into his pocket, fingers curling around his pocketknife.

“Fine,” Jay got up out of the booth, “let’s step out and settle this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I just want to say thank you to everyone who's given me feedback, suggestions, and just taken the time to read and comment in general. I appreciate every one of you guys. Plenty more to come thanks to your encouragement. xox


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit scattered, but I'm trying to get things in order for all the big stuff coming up. Bear with me I promise it'll be worth it. :)

Eggsy grit his teeth as he gripped his arm with his one hand, holding the phone to his ear with the other. After what felt like an eternity, Harry’s voice sounded on the other end of the line, “Hello?”

“Hey, Harry,” Eggsy tried his best to hide the pain in his voice.

Harry had too many years of experience to be fooled, “What’s wrong?”

“You said you know medical stuff, right?”

“Shit, Eggsy,” he sounded more worried than angry, “what happened?”

“Can you do stitches?”

“Yes, I can. Eggsy, what on Earth happened?”

“I’ll see you in five.”

Before Harry could ask any more questions, the line went dead. He sighed as he got up and went to the bathroom, pulling the first aid kit out of the cabinet and bringing it into the living room. Eggsy didn’t sound like he was dying, which was reassuring. But the fact that he needed stitches and admitted it was its own brand of concerning.

There was a knock at the door, and Harry all but jumped up to answer it. When he opened it, he saw Eggsy standing there, a little disheveled with dirt on his jeans and a few scratches on his face. He saw the sleeve that covered the boy’s right arm, and it was stained with red. Concern flooded Harry’s face as he pulled the boy inside and brought him out to the living room and sat him down on the couch.

He gently pulled Eggsy’s hand away from the cut on his arm, not that it did much good. The long sleeve of his shirt kept his bicep mostly covered despite the gash in the cloth. Harry looked Eggsy in the eyes, not wanting to ask even though it was inevitable that it needed to be done. The boy sighed as he slowly peeled his shirt off, wincing as the cloth brushed over his cut.

Harry gave Eggsy a brief once-over before returning to the cut on the boy’s arm. He gently wiped it clean, getting all of the dirt and dried blood away from it. He looked at Eggsy, “This isn’t going to be pleasant.”

“Nothing about this has been pleasant,” Eggsy said bitterly as he looked at his arm.

“What happened?” Harry asked in an attempted to keep him engaged as he needle broke through the boy’s skin.

He cursed quietly before trying to focus enough to answer Harry’s question, “That kid from the pub.”

“What went on this time?”

“Wanted to settle that shit once and for all.”

Harry looked up from his stitching, his initial mindset being more Kingsman agent, less concerned civilian, “You didn’t…”

Eggsy looked appalled, “I didn’t kill him, if that’s what you’re tryna ask. I’m no killer, ‘Arry. Gimme a little credit.”

“My apologies,” he tore his eyes away and went back to the task at hand. The next few minutes passed in silence, save a few mumbled curses from Eggsy as Harry continued to fix up his arm. Whatever had happened, it left a decent gash on the inside of Eggsy’s right bicep. Harry was pretty confident that no matter how good his stitching was there would be a scar.

“That should do it,” Harry finally said as he put his medical tools away, wiping over the cut one last time.

“Thanks, bruv,” Eggsy reached to put his shirt back on but Harry grabbed it before he could.

He gave the man a confused look. Harry shook his head, “I’ll get you something clean to wear.” He disappeared up the stairs for a minute, going to the spare room and grabbing an old t-shirt from the dresser. He walked back into the living room and handed the shirt to Eggsy, “I’d try to keep cloth off of that as much as possible,” he warned, “But if you need to put sleeves on, wrap a bandage around the stitches so it won’t get infected.”

“Sounds simple enough,” Eggsy said as he pulled the t-shirt on.

“Can I ask you something, Eggsy?”

“Shoot,” he leaned back on the couch.

“Why are you so incessant with that boy? He’s not worth the trouble he’s giving you.”

“I can’t just stand by and let ‘im do whatever to Anna. I don’t have it in me. For once I could actually be useful and get that kid to leave ‘er alone. I’ve been a bystander for that kinda shit long enough, thanks.”

“Then why not talk to the girl about this?”

“’Ave you ever talked to someone in that situation, Harry?”

“I can’t say that I have your perspective on it.”

“Ya don’t want to,” he suddenly felt like he couldn’t look Harry in the eyes.

“You want a cup of tea?”

Eggsy nodded, “Please?”

“I’ll be right back,” Harry rested his hand on the boy’s shoulder for a moment as he walked by.

He came back out with two cups, handing one to Eggsy before going and sitting on the other end of the couch from him. They sat in silence, sipping on their tea. Eggsy stared down at the cup in his hands, rethinking everything that had happened that day, and Harry couldn’t help but to look at the boy, who seemed so lost and troubled and bottled up.

“What’s really going on here, Eggsy?”

He rolled his eyes dramatically, trying to make it as obvious as possible that he didn’t want to continue the conversation. Harry kept his gaze locked on Eggsy as the boy’s bright green eyes looked everywhere but at him.

“Are you ever going to trust me enough to be honest with me about these things?”

That got the boy to look at him, “I ain’t ever lied to you ‘bout this shit, Harry,”

“You’ve never given me the complete truth, either.”

“Like you’ve made such a habit of being honest,” he shot back.

“That’s for your own good.”

Eggsy gave a slight shake of his head but didn’t say anything more as he drank his tea. He wanted to tell Harry that he didn’t get to pity him if Eggsy wasn’t allowed to get any answers about what the man did with his life, but he didn’t want to start an argument; he’d had enough confrontation for one day.

“Can you just tell me what happened today?” his eyes were pleading.

Eggsy could feel his willpower fading away. As much as he hated the look of pity, Harry made it work so well. He took a deep breath, “I’ll tell you what happened if you tell me point-blank what you do for a living. No skirtin’ around it, ya get me?”

Harry sighed but had to commend Eggsy on his persistence. He knew few other people who were so adamant about avoiding what they don’t want while simultaneously getting what they do. “I work at Kingsman,” he finally said.

Eggsy looked at him, one eyebrow raised skeptically, “The tailor shop?”

Harry nodded, “On Savile.”

“And you didn’t tell me that for this long because…?”

“Do you believe me?”

“I don’t think you’re _lying_ , but ya certainly ain’t telling me everything.”

“And _that’s_ why I haven’t told you,” there was a soft smirk playing at Harry’s lips, “What’s the point of telling you something if you’re not going to believe it?”

Eggsy chuckled, “Well, in that case, there is _definitely_ no reason fer me to tell you what happened with Jay taday.”

“Oh come on now, that’s not fair,” Harry sounded like a child who didn’t get his way.

Eggsy laughed as he stood up off the couch and stretched, wincing slightly when he tried to extend his arm. He picked his cup up and brought it into the kitchen, placing it in the sink. Harry opened his mouth to make a comment about how comfortable Eggsy was in his house now, but he didn’t want to ruin it. The man found it to be a little endearing.

“So Harry, who was that girl here before? If you were anyone else, I’d say she’s your Bond Girl, but she doesn’t seem your type.”

“My _type_?” he couldn’t suppress his smile.

“Yea. We’ve all got a type, ‘Arry. Even you.”

Harry laughed, “Is that so? Then tell me, Eggsy, what’s _your_ type?”

The boy shrugged, “Still figuring it out,” he looked Harry up and down with a smirk, green eyes locking down on the man in front of him, “Gettin’ a better idea of it ev’ryday.”

Harry nervously cleared his throat, for the first time in a long time be felt as though he was about to start blushing. He knew that more likely than not Eggsy was just doing it to get a rise out of him, but it was working and that was the problem. If Merlin could see him now he’d be dying of laughter.

“ _Anyway_ ,” Harry wanted to change the topic, and preferably have total control over himself again, “Roxy is by no means my Bond Girl, that much you’re right about. She’s just a co-worker. But enough about that. What’ve you been doing since I’ve been gone, besides getting into more altercations?”

Eggsy rolled his eyes, “Ta be fair, I didn’t get into any while you were off. But I’ve got the end of the semester comin’ up in a bit.”

“How’s it feel to be almost done?”

He nodded and grinned, “Good, act’ally. I mean, I didn’t die yet, yea?”

“Yet?” Harry couldn’t help but to be a little amused.

“Never say never,” he laughed.

 

“Ay, Anna,” Eggsy caught up with her as she left her class, “You goin’ out wiff us tomorrow?”

“Out where?”

“Well tomorrow’s the last day of classes, and we’ve got the rest of the week ‘nd the weekend to recover before exams.”

“Beauty of having the last day on a Wednesday, yea?” she laughed, “Alright, I’m game. Who’s all going out?”

Eggsy started listing off some of the people that both of them had classes with, and the more he thought about it the more he realized things might get out of control really quick. Not that that would be the worst thing in the world. “Oh, and I invited Alex, Jamal, and Ryan too. They’re always lookin’ fer a reason to get out.”

“Sounds like a fun time. Text me the details later, yea?”

“Can do. I’ll see ya tomorrow,” he gave her a hug before heading off campus.

He flipped up his hood, forever becoming more and more frustrated with the cold weather. Why he had to be born in a part of the world where actual warm weather was a beautiful rarity was beyond him.

After what felt like forever, he wound up at his mom’s flat. He looked around, and after confirming that Dean’s car was nowhere around, he made his way up the steps. He knocked a few times, and when he didn’t hear any noise coming from the other side of the door, he chanced opened the door slightly. He poked his head in, and when he didn’t see anyone, he walked inside.

“Mum?” he looked around, “Mum, you here?”

Not wanting to hang around too long and run the risk of Dean walking in before his mother, Eggsy decided that he’d make a trip back again once his semester was done. He scribbled out a quick note, tucking it in the book on his mom’s nightstand on the same page where her bookmark was. He knew it was the one safe place, the last thing that Dean would ever do is open a goddamn book.

_“Hey Mum, stopped in quick to see how you and Daisy have been. Love you and miss you. I’ll see you once exams are over. Call me if you need me. Love, Eggsy.”_

 

They hadn’t been out for very long, but they didn’t need a very long time when it was the whole lot of them together. With enough drinks, lights, and loud music they could forget that the real world was going on outside the walls of that club within a matter of minutes.

“C’mon, Eggsy,” Anna laughed as she set her drink down on the bar, pulling the boy out onto the floor, “Dance with me.”

Eggsy smiled as he let himself get dragged out. It wasn’t something he really advertised, and normally no one would remember it in the morning anyway, but he had a knack for dancing. Seeing how ungraceful he could be in his daily life it was a little hard to believe that Eggsy could master the art of dancing. But as he spun Anna around once, pulling her close and falling right into the beat of the music, she looked at him with a surprised smile.

“Well,” she leaned in close to his ear, “Aren’t you just full of surprises?”

He laughed as his hands slid down onto her hips, losing track of time as the songs all started to blend together. The only time they broke apart were to go get more drinks from the bar. He had stopped counting how many drink’s he’d had. Half of the time he didn’t exactly know what it was he was drinking, which he would’ve been concerned about under any other circumstance. He was surrounded by his secondary family, though, and he felt invincible.

Alex popped up, throwing an arm around the boy’s shoulder, “This was a fantastic idea, bruv.”

Eggsy laughed as he finished off another drink, “Ya think so?”

“I do,” he faltered a bit, “And if, if yer lucky, you could prob’ly take Anna home.”

“Prob’ly,” he smiled but in his head he knew that if anything he’d just end up walking Anna home. He was in no condition to do much of anything with anyone.

As much fun as Eggsy was having, after a while he was itching to get out. He didn’t know exactly why or where he wanted to go, but he suddenly felt the urge to be outside the vibrating walls of the club.

He snagged Alex as he walked back to the bar, “Ay, I’m out,” he said over the music, “I’ll see ya back at ‘ome,” he paused, “Make sure Anna gets back alright?”

Alex gave an exaggerated salute, “You got it, bruv.”

Eggsy ordered one last drink before he left, thinking that there was no way it could really affect him all that much at that point. He had a general idea of what he wanted to do but being able to go about it in a graceful manner was a whole other issue. He managed to slide his way through the clusters of people in the club and make it to the door, the cold air hitting him hard as he stepped out into the night.

He wandered down the street trying to keep his wits about him enough not to make a wrong turn. He could deal with not being able to walk in a straight line, as long as he ended up on his street by the end of it all.

He knocked on the door a few times, waiting for a moment or two before leaning against it, pressing his ear against the hardwood to listen for noise on the other side. Just as he was about to knock again, the door opened and he fell in, nearly knocking Harry completely off his feet.

“Oh, Christ,” Harry muttered as he caught Eggsy, keeping the boy from smashing his face into the floor.

“Harry!” there was a grin painted on Eggsy’s face.

Harry wanted to look frustrated, but it was futile. Seeing Eggsy drunk on his doorstep all over again was amusing and it was nice to not have the boy trapped in a crisis for once. He kept his hand on the boy’s back to make sure he didn’t topple over, “Drunk and locked out again?”

“I, I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“’Aven’t been home yet.”

Harry chuckled, “Just wanted to stop in and say hello?”

Eggsy turned, nearly tripping as he put one hand on each of Harry’s shoulders, “I like you, Harry.”

He was fighting back his laughter as best he could, “I’m flattered.”

“I’m serious. I think…I think I like being here more than I like being home.”

Harry had forgotten just how little regard Eggsy had for people’s personal space when he was drunk. There was hardly any space left between them. Harry was able to smell every drop of alcohol on the boy’s breath. He smiled as he recalled it was almost exam week. It was Eggsy’s last chance to have a little bit of a life before he went AWOL for a bit. He smiled to himself at how far the boy had taken it.

“Well, I’m glad you like it here so much.”

“’Arry?”

“Yes?”

Eggsy was all but completely on top of the man at this point, “Can I stay here?”

Normally Harry would assume he meant for the night, but in light of the boy’s last comment he wasn’t so sure. But he also told himself that he didn’t really care. Either way it was tempting to just agree to it and figure out the details later. The boy’s drunken smile and bright green eyes blotted out every word except ‘yes’.

“Of course, Eggsy,” Harry finally said.

He pulled Harry into a tight hug, and he almost didn’t know how to react. After a few quick seconds of shocked paralysis, Harry snapped back into it and gently wrapped his arms around the boy in return. He shut his eyes and tried to enjoy that moment as much as possible, realizing full-well it might be the first and last time it ever happened.

Eggsy was completely out of sorts, that was indisputable. But even so he had enough wits about him to notice everything about what was happening around him. He buried his face in Harry’s robe, which smelled of whatever beautiful cologne Harry wore, and the slightest hint of whiskey. Eggsy smiled to himself as he took it all in and felt Harry’s arms wrap around him.

Finally, he pulled away, a lopsided smirk on his face. Harry’s cheeks were crimson and he reached up to fuss with his glasses, a nervous habit he hadn’t resorted to in ages, when he realized he wasn’t wearing them. He’d just been getting into bed when Eggsy came banging on the door.

“You’re not wearing your glasses, bruv,” Eggsy tried to take a step back but nearly tripped over his own feet in the process.

“Yes, well,” Harry chuckled as he put his hand on the boy’s arm to steady him, “I think you may need them more than me right now,” he paused and smiled amusedly, “Do you think you can make it up the stairs?”

“’Arry Hart,” Eggsy looked shocked as all Hell, “I can’t believe you’d take me for someone who’s that easy,” he turned away indignantly.

“Eggsy, that’s not what I-”

Eggsy cut him off, “I mean, I am. But you shouldn’t just assume that.”

Harry burst out laughing, “Oh, oh my. Alright, not what I meant.”

“Shame,” Eggsy smirked.

Harry took a deep breath, “Right, anyway. I was going to say, you could stay in the guest room instead of on the couch.”

“You sure I gotta stay in the guest room, bruv?”

“Unless you have nightmares and need me, yes.”

Eggsy smiled, “Aight, fair enough,” he took a step back, “Lead the way!”

Harry chuckled as he turned and headed towards the stairs, keeping a supportive hand on Eggsy’s good arm as they traversed the stairs. Even when they reached the top Harry wasn’t sure how it’d happened without incident. Eggsy could hardly walk on even ground and yet he managed to make it up a complete flight of stairs.

Harry sat him down on the bed before turning and pulling out a set of pajamas from the dresser. He wanted to toss them to the boy, but he realized his reflexes weren’t exactly functioning at their highest for the moment. He set them down beside him with a smile.

“You going to be alright?”

Eggsy nodded, “I think so. I mean, I’m here.”

Harry chuckled, “Right, well remember,” he gestured towards his room, “I’m just down the hall if you need me.”

“Thanks, Harry,” his smile was as content and childish as Harry had ever seen it.

He ruffled the boy’s hair, “Goodnight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drunkenly Honest Eggsy because I think it's been too long since we've had a Drunken Eggsy scene. That and Awkwrd Harry Hart is really fun to write.  
> As always, thank you for the reads, kudos, and comments. Love all of you. xox


	14. Chapter 14

Eggsy woke up the next morning to the sound of his phone vibrating on the bed next to him. He answered it without bothering to look at who was calling. “Hello?” his voice was groggy and hardly discernible.

“Eggsy,” Alex’s voice was worried, and loud, “Where the fuck did you get to last night, bruv? I came home thinkin’ I’d find ya here at home but the place was empty.”

“Stop, stop yelling,” Eggsy shut his eyes tight, trying to remember everything that had happened, “I took a detour. I’m fine. Anna get ‘ome alright?”

“Yea, she’s fine. Well, prob’ly hungover as Hell,” he laughed, “But she’s aight.”

“Good,” he took a deep breath, “I’ll be home later, yea?”

“Yea, that’s fine. Just wanted ta make sure ya didn’t get kidnapped or nothin’.”

“Safe and sound, bruv.”

“I’ll see you later.”

“Later,” Eggsy mumbled before hanging up and pulling the covers up over his head, wanting desperately to disappear back into the void of sleep he had been in.

When he woke up again next, it was to the smell of breakfast and coffee coming from downstairs. His room was right above the kitchen. He took a deep breath and smiled, for a few moments forgetting the splitting headache that he had. He slowly sat up, keeping his eyes squinted as if that would make it less painful. He ran his fingers through his hair, looking around the room for the first time, since the previous night he was really just wanting to use the bed.

He tried to recall what had happened, but he couldn’t differentiate between reality and his imagination. He stretched, careful to only extend his left arm as he did. He got up and started looking around the room, figuring a couple minutes of snooping before breakfast wouldn’t kill anyone. He looked at the photos on the desk, pausing as he looked at the one of a whole group of men, all in matching black combat outfits. They didn’t look like any branch of the military he’d ever seen. He also couldn’t help but to notice the polaroid taped to the wall of a young Harry Hart, who was draped on a man who was in a few of the other photos. Eggsy didn’t remember a recurring name in Harry’s stories, not that his mental state was all that reliable in that moment.

Before he could give it too much thought, there was a gentle knock on the door. Harry poked his head inside, smiling when he saw that Eggsy was back on his own two feet. “Glad to see you survived.”

Eggsy laughed, pressing his hand to his temple as he did, “Wouldn’t place any bets on that just yet, bruv.”

“Headache?”

“Fuckin’ killer,” Eggsy groaned.

“Come,” Harry waved him over, “I’ve got something for that.”

Eggsy followed him like a lost puppy down to the kitchen. His face brightened as he looked at the food in front of him. It was even better that he didn’t have to cook any of it for once. Harry smiled and shook his head as he made them each a cup of coffee. He slipped a few Kingsman-issued medicine tablets into Eggsy’s glass. It wasn’t something the agency encouraged, but between Eggsy’s headache and the pain his arm must be causing him, Harry reasoned that it wasn’t the worst thing in the world if a few capsules were tossed his way.

“You’re the gov’ner,” Eggsy said with a childish grin as he dug into his breakfast.

“So I’ve been told,” Harry smiled as he stirred his own coffee.

When he was done eating, Eggsy wiped off his mouth and finally turned to Harry, “Alright, I’ve gotta ask, did I do anything stupid last night?”

“Stupid is a relative term,” Harry chuckled, not too sure if he wanted to bring up things that Eggsy didn’t quite remember, or worse, might regret knowing.

“Fuck,” Eggsy laughed, “I am _so_ sorry, ‘Arry.”

He shook his head, “No need to apologize. If you were really that annoying I’d just toss you out the door.”

“Thanks,” he rolled his eyes but his lips curled into a smirk.

“You feeling a bit better now?” he asked as Eggsy got up and brought both their plates into the kitchen.

“Yea, act’ally I am. You puttin’ something extra in my coffee, bruv?” he laughed.

“Nothing that will hurt you,” Harry smiled as Eggsy walked back to the table, idly picking at his stitches. “I should be able to take those out in a few days.”

“Yea?” his eyes brightened at the prospect, “That’d be great.”

“Pop by sometime this weekend, then. I’d be happy to do that for you.”

“You sure you’ll be in-country?” Eggsy laughed, “I won’t stop by and find a note telling me you’ve gone off to Mexico?”

He smiled and shook his head, “I don’t think so.”

“Aight, just making sure. I know that _tailoring_ job of yours has been kinda demanding,” he gave a cheeky smile.

 

Anna managed to drag Eggsy to the library on Sunday, despite his whining and statements of, “But our final isn’t until _Friday_.” She’d given the very simple response of, “Yes but your other finals are not.” He’d rolled his eyes and pouted as they drove over, but once they were actually inside and surrounded by piles of textbooks and notebooks, it didn’t seem as painful as he thought it’d be.

“What’s your exam schedule like?” she asked as she closed one book and grabbed another.

“One tomorrow, two on Wednesday, and then our psych one on Friday. You?”

“I had two during class, so I just have Psych with you on Friday and two others on Thursday.”

He looked up from his notes, his face showing his confusion, “Then what the _Hell_ are you doing in here now? You’ve got a fuckin’ week.”

She laughed, “I like to be prepared.”

He shook his head, “You’re insane.”

She tapped his notebook with her pen, a smile on her face, “Just study, yea? You’ve got an exam first thing tomorrow.”

“Yes _Mum_ ,” he muttered under his breath, coaxing a quiet laugh out of Anna.

They didn’t talk much, too busy being immersed in their work. It amazed Eggsy that he could spend an entire semester learning about something, but once he sat down to review it all it was like he hadn’t ever heard of it before. Whoever decided that cumulative finals were a good route to take should be shot, at least that’s what he thought. It’d been _months_ since they even touched on some of this stuff, and now he was expected to know absolutely everything about it like they’d just learned it two days ago? He couldn’t even remember what he _had_ done two days ago. He sighed as he leaned back in his chair, taking off his hat to run his fingers through his hair.

“Ready to call it a day?” Anna asked as she shut her book.

“What time is it?” Eggsy pulled his phone out, jaw dropping not only at the time but at the number of missed messages from his roommates. He looked up at Anna, “How the fuck have we not moved for so long?”

She laughed, “Welcome to Finals Week, Eggsy. _This_ is why I told you I’d be dropping off for a while.”

“No shit,” he stood up and stretched, “Fer fuck’s sake, we’ve been here _all day_.”

“I know. I was here last night, too.”

“How ‘as your head not blown up?”

“A work of some deity, I guess,” she smiled as she put her books back into her bag, “But are you glad I dragged you out for this?”

He hesitated for a few moments before finally nodding, “Yea. I guess you was right about all this.”

She winked, “You’re welcome.”

“Aight,” he laughed as he slung his bag over his shoulder, “Let’s go back out inta the real world.”

Anna dropped him off, telling him to let her know how his exam went. And how all of his other exams went as well. She also let him know that she’d be at the library practically every night if he wanted to join her. “Just shoot me a text,” she told him with a smile before peeling off down the road back to her own house.

Eggsy strolled inside, calling out to see if any of the guys were home. Jamal came crashing down the stairs, stopping just a few feet from Eggsy, “Bruv, where’ve you _been_?”

“I told you,” he tossed his backpack into the living room, “I went to the library wiff Anna. Why, what’s goin’ on?”

“Your Mum dropped by.”

“What? Why? Is she okay? Is Daisy alright?”

Jamal nodded, “Yea. Yea they’re both aight. She was worried ‘bout you, though. Guess Dean musta mentioned, y’know…” his voice trailed off as he nodded towards the boy’s cheek.

Eggsy put a hand over the bruise with a sigh. He really was the poster child for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He hadn’t gone to the Black Prince on his own in what felt like ages, for the sole purpose of trying to avoid getting his face busted open again. But he’d been running in the park, looked down to change the song he was listening to, and ran right into one of Dean’s gang, nearly knocking them over. That ended about as well as you’d expect.

“What’d you tell her?”

“That you were doin’ okay, nothin’ too serious.”

Eggsy nodded, “Thanks, bruv,” he sighed, “Fuck, I told her to just call if she needed anything.”

“I think she just wanted to see you, mate.”

“I know,” he shrugged, “Aight, well, thanks fer lettin’ her know I’m okay. I’ll be back in a few, I’m gettin’ these stitches out.”

“’Bout time,” Jamal laughed.

“You’re tellin’ me,” Eggsy forced a smile as he turned and headed back out the door.

He put his hand back over the mark on his cheek as he made his way across the street. It really wasn’t as bad as it had been in the past. It was one hit to the face, and a lucky one at that. The bruise would be gone within another forty-eight hours. However, no one else ever seemed to handle the situations as calmly as Eggsy did.

He knocked on Harry’s door, and the man answered almost immediately. Eggsy smiled as he stepped inside, “Glad to know the doctor’s in.”

“I was starting to think that you forgot.”

“And leave these in my arm any longer?” he looked down at his stitches, “No way, bruv.”

“Step into my office,” Harry said with a smile as they went into the living room. “I’m going to need you to sit still,” Harry said as he opened up his kit, “I’d rather not give you something else I need to stitch up.”

Eggsy laughed, “I sat still when you gave ‘em to me, didn’t I?”

“You do have an oddly high threshold for pain,” Harry noted as he began to take the stitches out.

“Good thing too,” the boy gave a lopsided smirk, “I’d be fucked all over if I din’t.”

“Can I ask what happened to your cheek?” Harry was trying to keep him focused on anything but his arm. No matter how tough Eggsy was, it wasn’t exactly a fun experience.

Eggsy wanted to shrug but stopped himself before he moved his arm, “Nothin’ really. Got into a scuff a couple days ago.”

“With that same boy?”

Eggsy laughed, “Oh, no. ‘E hasn’t bothered me or Anna since I last needed your medical know-how.”

“Your step-father?”

“Might as well ‘ave been.”

Harry cleaned off Eggsy’s arm, admiring his own handiwork, “That should be alright as long as you’re careful and keep it clean.”

“Thanks, bruv.” Harry reached forward, gently turning Eggsy’s cheek to look at the bruise. The boy shrugged, “It’s hardly anythin’.”

“Why are you so calm about this?”

Eggsy leaned back on the couch, “What’s the use in gettin’ worked up? It ain’t gonna change anythin’.”

“And what makes you say that?”

“’Cos it’s always been this way. Hell, Mum gets herself in a right fit every time this happens and it hasn’t done any good. I just accept things as they are and deal with it. I ain’t gonna start holding out fer a miracle.”

Harry’s face softened, “It doesn’t have to take a miracle, Eggsy.”

“At this point? Yea, I think it just might.”

“What exactly is your situation?”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” he answered too quickly for Harry to be comfortable.

“It’s not a matter of _worrying_. I just want to know if there’s anything I can do.”

“Trust me, there ain’t much that anyone can do,” he fussed with the hem of his shirt, not wanting to keep picking at the same wound Harry had been practically since they met.

“How do you know that if you never tell anyone what’s going on?”

“What’ll that do?” the annoyance on his face turned to anger as he sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees, “Honestly, ‘Arry, what the fuck would it change if I told you everythin’? It’d just make you get that look, like I’m some fuckin’ kicked puppy.”

He hated seeing Eggsy get so bent out of shape, especially at him, “Eggsy that’s not…it’s not my intention. I just want to help.”

“And ya did,” Eggsy stood up, running his fingers through his hair, “Really, Harry, I bug you enough as is. What the fuck else could I really ask you for?”

“Let me do something to help remedy this, Eggsy. You don’t deserve to be going through all of this. You’re, you’re a fine young man, with so much potential.”

“Don’t, aight? Don’t give me that,” this conversation was starting to hit a nerve that had been long untouched.

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re gonna give me some fuckin’ spiel ‘bout how I’ve got so much to offer and all that shit, tryna give me some reason to try and get my fuckin’ shit together, to let you help me get it together,” he paused and tried to steady his voice, “Well maybe I don’t need it, did you ever think of that?” tears welled up in his eyes, “I don’t need you to fix me, Harry. I don’t need to be fixed. I’m not,” his voice cracked, “I’m not broken.”

Harry stood up and stepped towards him, his heart stopping for a moment as Eggsy flinched and quickly stepped back. “I didn’t mean to say that you are, Eggsy. I’m sorry.”

“Why do you even care, anyway?” his eyes went cold, “You don’t even know me.”

Harry wanted to correct him, tell him that he’d learned more about him over the past weeks than he would ever willingly let on, but he couldn’t. This whole situation was the result of all the things that Harry wanted desperately to tell the boy, but wasn’t allowed to. It wasn’t fair, but there were certain rules that he couldn’t break, even if every fiber of his being was telling him to.

“I know enough,” he finally said.

Eggsy shook his head, “I don’t need your fuckin’ charity. I get it, you got it all posh and nice over here, running ‘round to Spain and China and wherever the fuck else ya go, and you feel _so_ bad for the kid bunkin’ across the street away from his fam’ly. But y’know what? Save it. I don’t need you feelin’ sorry for me. I’m doin’ just fine.”

“Eggsy, please, listen to me for a minute.”

“No, y’know what? I’ve bothered you enough,” he made his way towards the door, fighting back tears, “I’ll leave ya alone, let you get back to your life, whatever Bond shit you gotta go do. Thanks for the stitches, ‘Arry. It’ll be the last thing I ask you for, promise.”

Harry went after him, catching the door just before it slammed shut behind the boy. He called after Eggsy as he stormed down the walk, but he didn’t offer so much as a backwards glance as he walked into his house, leaving Harry with his forehead pressed against the doorframe, fighting the urge to slam his head into it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm terrible I know. Please forgive me.  
> I'll be on vacation through Tuesday, so the next update will be Wednesday at the earliest.  
> If you guys are doing anything to celebrate Memorial Day, have fun and be safe! xox


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Things are about to start picking up so thank you to all of you who've stayed tuned in. :)

Eggsy walked out of his first exam and let out a deep breath, feeling like he hadn’t breathed for the entire two hours he was in the exam room. It wasn’t as grueling as he thought it was going to be. His anxiety was the worst part of the whole thing. If his other exams went as smoothly, he figured he might be able to survive the college thing after all.

He pulled out his phone and texted Anna, _“One down, three to go.”_

The reply was almost immediate, _“Awesome! I’ll catch you tonight. You can tell me all about it. :)”_

He smiled as he looked down at the text, and he tried to focus on what was going on that day, trying to do the whole “live in the moment” thing Anna had been going on about whenever he got stressed. He was excited about making it through his first college final, since that was something he never thought he’d be able to say. And more than that he was happy about the fact that he was going to be able to go home later to celebrate and revel in that fact, but he couldn’t shake the way he had felt the day before when he was standing in Harry’s living room.

The last time he’d had someone talk to him like that was the night that he showed up on Alex’s doorstep, with nothing but a backpack’s worth of clothes. He’d been banged up something awful, his face all bruised and cut up. Alex hadn’t been prepared for that since Eggsy had seemed so calm on the phone. Once Alex let him in Eggsy collapsed into the boy’s arms. The more he thought about it, the more it all came flooding back in blinding colors:

“Eggsy?” Alex tore the boy’s bag off his shoulders and scooped him up trying to make as little noise as possible, “For the love of God bruv, stay with me,” he brought Eggsy to his room, kicking the door closed before putting Eggsy on his bed. He shook the boy’s shoulders, “Eggsy, c’mon don’t do this to me,” he peeled the boy’s jacket off, exposing track-marks on his arms. Alex’s eyes grew wide in panic, “No, no, you’re not goin’ out this way.”

He wiped Eggsy’s face with cold water, which brought enough of his senses about to get him to speak. “Sorry.”

Alex shook his head, “No apologizing,” he fought to keep his composure as his voice wavered, “You’re gonna wake up tomorrow and we’re gonna sort all this out,” he closed his hands over Eggsy’s, “This isn’t ‘ow it’s gonna be for you. I’m not gonna let it. You’ve got too much goin’ on up ‘ere,” he put his hand against Eggsy’s forehead, “ta let it go like this. We’re gonna…we’re gonna fix this. You’re gonna be alright, I’ll make sure of it.”

The next thing that Eggsy remembered was waking up in Alex’s bed the following morning. Alex was sitting on the floor next to the bed, his back against the nightstand, his one hand still tight around Eggsy’s.

He forced out a cough, “Al-alex?”

He snapped awake, “I’m here, I’m here.”

“I shouldn’t’ve, I’m so sorry.”

Alex got up and sat on the edge of the bed, “I told you, no apologizing,” he tugged at his own hair, “We’ll fix you up and get this figured out, yea? It’ll be alright.”

Eggsy forced himself back into the present, leaning against the side of the building he’d just walked out of as he tried to catch his breath. It felt like he’d been punched in the gut. He and Alex never talked about what happened that night, not with anyone besides each other. And even then, they avoided it at all costs because it tore the both of them up. But the tone of Harry’s voice, and the look on his face, it brought Eggsy back to the one night he’d give absolutely anything to be able to erase.

He always thought that he’d come such a long way since then, that he’d made so much progress. But as he sat there listening to Harry it felt like he hadn’t moved forward a single step, which he knew wasn’t the truth, but that didn’t make the feeling in the back of his head go away.

He flipped his hood up as he made his way off campus, trying to get his mentality back in the right place. Being as stressed as he felt was only okay as long as he was still sitting in the exam room. He made it, and he had to fight to enjoy that fact.

He swung the door open, shouting to any of his roommates that might be home. Alex came flying down the stairs, stopping mere feet before tumbling into Eggsy, “How’d it go??”

Eggsy nodded, “I think it went real well, act’ally.”

“Yea?” Alex gave him a high five that transformed into a hug, “I’m prouda you, bruv.”

“Thanks. I am too.”

Alex made his way to the kitchen, pulling two beers out of the fridge. He tossed one, Eggsy catching it easily, “Cheers.”

Eggsy cracked his open, “Cheers.”

“You wanna order in tonight?” Alex asked as they collapsed on the couch.

“That’d be great. I really don’ wanna cook,” he laughed.

“Aight,” Alex chuckled, “I’ll see what the guys want.”

The whole group of them were halfway through dinner, and more than a couple drinks in, when there was a knock at the door. They all looked around at each other, wondering who it would be if they were all home. Eggsy shrugged and got up, “Nobody jump to it or nothin’,” he laughed.

He swung the door open and saw Anna standing on their front steps, hood flipped up and her hands tucked into her coat pockets. She smiled at him, “How’s my Brainiac holding up?”

He chuckled and pulled her in out of the cold, “I’m aight.”

“You still knock?” Alex called from the living room, “You’re past that point with us, Doll.”

She laughed as she hung her coat up and walked into the living room, “I’ll remember that for next time,” she sat down on the couch between Alex and Eggsy, “So which exam was today?”

“Literature,” Eggsy said with a sigh.

“You think you did alright though?”

He nodded, “Yea, I mean, I didn’t fail or nothin’, that much I know.”

Time starting passing on by as the group of them sat there in the living room, swapping stories of college experiences that had gone terribly wrong. Everything from exams that got slept through to parties that ended awfully. Eggsy smiled as he listened to everyone, still trying to wrap his head around the fact that some of the things they’d long gone through, he still had lying ahead of him. It was a strange thought to know that these guys he lived with, who were all relatively the same age as him, had all these experiences that he still had yet to even scratch the surface of. Even Anna, who was younger than him, was able to relate to things that Eggsy couldn’t even try to. He felt a little lost, a little in over his head, but more than that it gave him something to look forward to. He knew that good or bad there was a lot ahead of him that he hadn’t really taken the time to think about or plan for.

Anna leaned against his side. And, as if reading his mind, she looked up at him with a smile, “You’ve got all this good stuff to look forward to, yea?”

Eggsy laughed, “Oh yea, can’t _wait_.”

“It’ll be fun,” Alex said with a good-natured smile, “And if ya land yourself in trouble you’ve got this lot who’s probably already been there and can bail ya out.”

“I think that’s reassuring?” Eggsy smirked.

“It’s always good to ‘ave someone when you’re up shit creek, bruv.”

 

Eggsy walked across campus to his first exam. He sighed, watching the fog his breath created get swept off in the wind. He felt his phone buzzing in his pocket, and he smiled as he answered it, “Yea?”

“Oh, good,” Anna laughed, “I was worried that you’d sleep through your first exam.”

“Why’s that? Because ya kept me hostage in the library till midnight?”

“ _Eleven-thirty_ ,” she corrected with a laugh, “But yes.”

He couldn’t stop himself from laughing, “Well, I’m aight. Had my alarm set and drank my coffee faster than what’s prob’ly healthy.”

He could hear the smile in her voice, “Good. Well, good luck. Two today, right?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.”

“You got this, Eggsy.”

“Thanks, Anna. I’ll talk to you later after my second exam, yea?”

“Sounds good. Go get ‘em.”

He hung up and turned off his phone, tucking it back into his pocket before walking into the building. All his professors were such sticklers when it came to cellphones. Honestly if he wanted to cheat on an exam he’d find a way to do it that didn’t require some large, light-up, rectangular block. Not that he wanted to say that and risk putting himself directly under the bus.

He sat down in his assigned seat. Why his professor took the time to assign exam seats for all 130 students in the class was beyond him. He didn’t think he’d ever understand how his professor’s minds worked. As the TA’s passed out the exam booklets, his professor gave a little speech, thanking them for being such a good class for her that semester and that her office door was open to them if they needed anything.

“So, I hope you all have a good holiday,” she nodded, “You have two hours; your exam time starts now.”

 

Harry walked into Merlin’s office, files tucked under his arm. Merlin only had to look at the man for a moment to figure out that something was wrong. Still, he decided to see if Harry offered up anything willingly before trying to pry. It was a tactic that had worked in the past.

“Any news?” Merlin asked.

Harry tossed the files onto his desk, “Latest Intel on Goodwell. Your techs are good, Merlin, but Goodwell seems to be a bit better,” he gestured to the chair beside him, “May I?”

He nodded, “Always,” he reached forward and started leafing through the top folder, “Certainly not as recent as we’d been hoping for. But it’s a start I suppose,” he skimmed through the next ones, looking for very particular things that he was not seeming to find. He sighed, “Well, the latest we have suggests he’s making his way back here again.”

“Delightful,” the sarcasm was etched deep in Harry’s voice.

“I know it’s not what you’re looking to hear, but it might just make him easier to catch. We have the upper hand around here.”

“Do we?” Harry sighed. Merlin gave him a questioning look but didn’t say anything, wanting Harry to explain himself. He fussed with his glasses, “He showed up on my fucking doorstep. And we had no idea. We _still_ wouldn’t if Eggsy hadn’t called.”

“Well he’s not exactly the easiest man to keep tabs on, Harry. It gets dicey when you have multiple aliases and a whole network of people dedicated to keeping your existence off the radar.”

Harry snapped, “I _know_ ,” he paused, regaining his composure, “I know. I just want to finish this once and for all. I want to be able to put this thing to rest. I’d like to have one less thing hanging over my head every waking hour.”

“We’re doing as much as we can with what we have.”

He sighed, “I know. And I know we can only do so much.”

“Is everything else alright?”

“Yes, everything’s fine, why?”

Merlin gave him a dubious look, “Harry, give me a little credit. I think I know you a bit too well for you to be trying to lie to me.”

Harry gave a tired, half-hearted smile, “All these years and I still can’t be convincing enough for you?”

“Call it a blessing and a curse,” he paused, “But what’s going on?”

He shook his head, removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, “It’s nothing that should be bothering me enough for people to take notice,” he sighed, “I just got into a bit of a spat with Eggsy.”

“I see…”

“I forgot how taxing it can be when you can’t tell someone anything about the largest part of your life.”

“Especially when they’re as inquisitive as your neighbor?”

“Precisely.”

Merlin pursed his lips together, never having been all that great with the emotional support side of things, “He’ll come back around, Harry. He’s just a young boy with a temper; I doubt his grudge will hold for very long,” he rested his hand on Harry’s shoulder and offered a small smile, “He’ll be back on your stoop in no time.”

Harry chuckled, placing his hand over Merlin’s for a moment, “Thank you.”

“Of course,” he stood up and motioned for Harry to do the same, “Now quit moping, we have work to do if we really want to put this whole cluster to rest for good.”

 

By the time Eggsy walked out of his second exam that day, he felt as though someone had taken his brain out of his skull, run it through the blender, and poured it back where it had been to begin with. He was surprised that he was still standing and able to see straight. As he tucked his hands into his pockets, he was thanking whatever deity there was that he had a day to recover before his final, final exam. The exams weren’t easy, but the worst part of it for him was having to stare into a booklet for four hours of his day. After a while he wasn’t sure what words were even real anymore.

It was cold out, but he needed some fresh air to try and get his head back in order before going back home. He took the long way home, winding his way through the park. He pulled his phone out, turning it on for the first time since eight that morning. As he checked his messages, he accidentally bumped shoulders with whoever was walking in the other direction.

He turned, “Sorry, bruv, I didn’t see ya.”

“It’s alright,” Andrew’s smile was as calm and charming as it ever was.

It took a moment, but when Eggsy looked down and saw the dog, he remembered exactly who he was talking to, “Andy, right?”

He nodded, “Harry’s neighbor?”

Eggsy gave a smug grin, still proud of himself for keeping his name to himself, “Impressed ya remember.”

“Try my hardest to remember kind faces,” he chuckled, “Besides, there’s not many people JB immediately warms up to.”

As if on cue, the dog barked, pulling on his leash to get closer to Eggsy. As much as the boy didn’t trust the dog’s owner, he couldn’t turn away from a cute animal. He smiled and dropped down, letting JB sniff his hand before scratching the dog behind its ears.

“You live around here, bruv?”

“I do a lot of business in this area.”

“Yea? What kinda work d’ya do?”

“Oh, a little bit of everything. I like to consider myself a bit of an entrepreneur.”

Eggsy nodded, giving an impressed smile, “Good fer you, bruv.”

“It’s served me well so far.”

JB rolled over onto his back, letting Eggsy scratch his stomach. Eggsy beamed as the dog wiggled and wagged his tail. He finally sat back, going to get back to standing upright. “Well, I hate to run off on ya, but I gotta get goi-” as he pushed up off the ground, there was a cracking sound. The last thing he felt was a splitting pain on the back of his skull before everything went black and he dropped to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yea, things will finally start getting interesting around here. Next chapter soon I promise. xox


	16. Chapter 16

Anna walked into their house, pulling her jacket off as she called out for Eggsy’s roommates. She was met with Alex’s voice coming from the other end of the house, “In the kitchen!”

She walked in, standing awkwardly in the doorway, “Hey.”

“Glad ta see you remembered not to knock. Welcome to the fam’ly.”

She laughed, “Thanks.”

“Eggsy ain’t home yet, if yer looking for him.”

“Actually, I wanted to know if you’ve seen him today.”

Alex shook his head, “Not since he left this morning, why?”

She shrugged, “He said he’d call me when he got out of his second exam, which was hours ago. I texted and called but it went to voicemail. Just figured I’d stop in and see if he was here before I got any kind of worried.”

His mind froze for a moment, not knowing what his friend could’ve gotten into. He knew that Eggsy had been trying to stay out of compromising situations, especially until his semester ended. Despite his inward concern, Alex gave her a comforting smile, “I’m sure he’s fine, Doll. Prob’ly off gettin’ into trouble somewhere. You know how he is with that.”

She laughed, “That’s for sure. Will you lemme know if you hear from ‘im?”

“’Course,” he paused, “Ya wanna hang around for a bit? Dinner’s almost ready.”

“You don’t mind?”

“Not at all. Like I said, you’re part of the family here now. And besides, it’s better than you sitting at home worrying about him.”

She smiled as she took the plate he handed to her, “Thanks. You’re a good guy, Alex.”

He smirked and shrugged, “I try ta be.”

When she walked out of the kitchen, Alex pulled his phone out of his pocket, shooting Eggsy a quick text in hopes that wherever he was he might by some miracle get it and answer. _“Ay bruv, you got everyone here worried bout where you are. Get in touch with someone please. Hope youre alright.”_

 

When Eggsy came to, he had absolutely no idea where he was. The room was pretty nondescript; it was exactly like something out of an action movie. Which would’ve been cool if he wasn’t the one who had to play the hostage that would probably end up dying in place of the greater cause. He looked around, there was a table with another chair on the other side of it. Besides that, there was nothing else to fill the cold, concrete room.

“Ay!” he tried to move but he was firmly strapped to his chair, “What the fuck is going on?”

“I must’ve hit you harder than I thought,” Goodwell walked in, “You’ve been out for a few hours.”

“Sorry to inconvenience you, bruv,” Eggsy sounded collected but inside his mind was an absolute whirlwind of panic, “Now what the fuck is wrong wiff you? Why the fuck am I here? Where is here?”

“You’re just full of questions.”

“Ya got any answers fer me?”

“Only if you have some for me.”

“ _What?_ What would I know that would be of any kind of use ta you?”

“I want to ask you a few questions about Harry Hart.”

“You takin’ a fuckin’ piss? Ya can’t be serious. I don’t know anythin’ about him!”

“I’m not sure I believe you.”

“He don’ tell me shit, bruv,” he paused as his phone began to buzz on the table. He looked up at Goodwell, as if asking what he was supposed to do about that.

“Some girl’s been calling you,” he shrugged, “Anna?”

“Shit. I was supposed ta call her. Instead I got knocked unconscious by a fucking _psychopath_ ,” he fought against his restraints and Goodwell caught him on the side of the face. Eggsy grit his teeth, “’S your funeral if someone finds out what happened ta me. Anna will fuckin’ kill ya slow too if she gets ‘er hands on you.”

He laughed, “That’s cute, you think I’m intimidated by anything you could ever say. You’ll have to try a bit harder, _Eggsy_.”

He tensed up, “’Ow d’you know my name?”

Goodwell held up the phone, “Your girlfriend always call you that when she’s worried?”

“Not my girlfriend,” Eggsy mumbled under his breath. It wasn’t the issue at hand, but it didn’t seem like there was much that he could do about that. “What d’ya want from me? I got nothin’.”

“How well do you know Harry Hart?”

“ _I don’t_. He’s just my neighbor. I’ve crashed in on ‘im a couple times when I was locked out, just to wait fer my roommates to get home. It’s not like we have dinner together ev’ry night and he told me his fuckin’ life story.”

“What do you know about what he does for a living?”

“What’s it ta you? I thought you fuckin’ worked with ‘im. Shitty colleague.”

Goodwell clipped him again, “You don’t want to push it with me, boy.”

“ _Boy_ ,” Eggsy rolled his eyes, “Please. Fuck off, yea? I prob’ly take better care of myself than you do. ‘Cos let’s face it, yer fuckin’ something up if ya gotta kidnap some kid you hardly know.”

“I think I know more about you than you realize.”

“You just learned my name a few hours ago. Fuck off.”

“You’d be surprised how much I can learn just knowing your name.”

“Nothin’ important,” his voice was as defiant as it had ever been. He had no idea where it was all coming from, because he had never been more afraid for his life than he was right then. He’d been in countless violent situations thanks to Dean and his crew, and the less-than-pleasant people Eggsy had let into his life in the past, but nothing would measure up to what he was feeling in that moment. He could feel his hands trembling. The only thing saving him was the fact that since they were tied behind the chair, Goodwell couldn’t see how much he was actually affecting the boy.

His phone began buzzing again, Anna’s name flashing bright across the screen. He looked back and forth between that and his captor, “Andy, lemme answer. I’ll tell her I’m aight and she’ll quit callin’. Make your life easier. Seems like you could use all the help you can get.”

Goodwell stepped forward and placed his hand around Eggsy’s throat, putting just enough pressure on to prove a point, “I’m telling you, don’t push your luck.”

“Or what? You’ll kill me? Fat chance. You took me ‘cos you need me. If you wanted me dead I’d’ve stopped breathing a while ago.”

Andrew shoved the boy back, chair skidding a bit on the concrete floor, but he didn’t say anything to refute what Eggsy had told him. Even if this kid was being honest, that he didn’t know anything about Harry and that he really was just some kid off the streets, he had more wits about him than most.

“ _If_ you’re telling me the truth, which I doubt, why is Harry’s number in your contacts?”

“You went through my fuckin’ phone?” he shook his head, reminding himself that wasn’t what he needed to be angry about at the moment, “He gave it to me for emergencies. Figurin’ he’s closer than a response team.”

Eggsy had absolutely no idea what this had to do with anything. For once he didn’t really want to know what Harry did for a living. He was regretting that he’d ever asked the man about it in the first place. He found himself regretting a lot of things as he sat there tied to a chair, at the total mercy of some mentally unstable mercenary. Suddenly four hours’ worth of exams was seeming like Heaven. He just wanted to know how he factored into the whole equation. He hardly knew Harry, and he knew nothing about this man in front of him except for that fact that he knew Harry and had a dog. And that he was fucking certifiably _insane_.

“So what would happen if I called Harry on your phone right now?”

“He’d answer?” Eggsy’s sarcasm was an attempt to cover up the fact that he had never been so confused in his entire life.

“I don’t appreciate the tone.”

“Yea? Well I don’t appreciate being _bound to a fucking chair_.” Goodwell’s fist rocked him a bit, and Eggsy could taste the blood in his mouth. He spit it out onto the floor of the room, glaring at Goodwell.

 

Harry was finally getting home from a grueling day at HQ with Merlin. He walked in the door and hung up his jacket when his phone went off in his pocket. He sighed, hoping that it was anyone but Merlin with a request to come back in. His brows furrowed as Eggsy’s name flickered. He didn’t know what to expect to hear when he answered.

“Hello?”

“Ah, Mr. Hart, so nice to hear your voice.”

Harry recognized the tone immediately, “Andrew. What’ve you done with Eggsy?” he could hear the boy in the background, but wasn’t able to make out what he was saying.

“He really is a fine boy. I almost felt a little guilty knocking him out so forcefully.”

“I swear if you damage even one hair on that boy’s head, I’ll-”

“You’ll what?” he didn’t let Harry finish his statement, “What could you possibly do? You haven’t been able to do anything for how many years? What’s so different now?”

“You don’t want to do this,” he grabbed his tablet, tapping into the GPS on Eggsy’s phone. He’d turned it on all those weeks ago, in case of emergencies of course. He didn’t quite expect _this_ to be the emergency, but all the same he was glad that he did it.

Nothing was coming up on the screen. He was getting no location feed whatsoever from Eggsy’s phone. He didn’t want to panic but he was running out of options. He heard Goodwell laugh, “You don’t think that I turned the GPS off before calling you? Come now, Harry, you taught me better than that.”

“Andrew, just let the boy go. He has nothing to do with anything.”

“Oh, but he does. You seem quite invested in this boy, Harry.”

A knot formed in the man’s stomach, “What makes you say that?”

“It really was just a hunch at first, but-”

Eggsy shouted, this time loud enough for Harry to hear, “You kidnapped me on a fucking _hunch_?!”

Goodwell sighed and cleared his throat, “As I was _saying_ , it was just a hunch. But then I remembered, you don’t just _talk_ to people, Harry. And yet, here’s this kid, who’s been in your home and you gave him your phone number, willingly might I add. That, and well, I’ve only ever heard you sound this protective once before.”

Harry grit his teeth, and in the back of his mind he could hear Merlin’s voice, telling him how dangerous it was for everyone involved if agents got emotionally invested. Merlin was the master of keeping his feelings in check, and that was the number one conflict the two of them always had as far back as Harry could remember. In that moment, though, he was desperately wishing he was more like Merlin. He took a deep breath, “What is it that you want from me, Andrew? What do I have to do to get that boy out of there?”

“I want you to prove that you’re better than me, although I don’t see that happening because you’ve failed at that so far. So come find me, and we’ll settle this once and for all. And, when you fail, not only will the boy be dead, but the whole agency will see just how lacking their agents are, even the ones they say are the best. And after that, I’ll let the whole world know what Kingsman is and how it’s going to be the eventual death of humanity.”

Harry rolled his eyes at the end of that statement. Goodwell had always had a thing for drama, living his life as if he was the lead role in an action movie. But Harry knew that if he didn’t find out where Eggsy was stowed away, he may very well might not survive the next forty-eight hours.

“Let me talk to the boy.”

“Why should I?”

“I want to know that he’s alive and alright. Think of it as an act of good faith.”

There was a scuffling sound and suddenly Eggsy’s voice rang in clear as day. “’Arry? You better ‘ave some good _fuckin’_ explanations fer this!” for the first time since he’d been captured the true level of panic that he was feeling showed through his voice, “What the fuck is going on? I didn’t do nothin’, bruv!”

The fear in Eggsy’s voice made the man’s heart shatter, “I know. But Eggsy we’re going to get you out safe, alright? I promise you that.”

“I’ve still got another exam. And this,” he tried to steady his voice but couldn't quite muster the mental strength to do so, “this really ain’t the way I wanna go out.”

“It’s not,” Harry’s voice was strong, reassuring, “You’re going to get out of this just fine.”

“I’m finding that a bit hard to believe right now,” he paused, “Y’know, ya tell me all the time to stay safe and yet…”

Harry sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “I know, I know.”

Then it was Goodwell back on the end of the line, “So, you have your act of good faith. Clock’s ticking, Harry. Hopefully the boy will still be in one piece when you get here.”

“Andrew, I swear if you do anyth-” the line cut before Harry could finish his sentence. He let out a yell of frustration before turning and booking it back out to his car, getting back to HQ as fast as he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There were some concerns about it after the last chapter, so I'm just going to put this out there: I'm not going to kill off Eggsy or Harry. I stay true to my archive warnings haha.
> 
> I can't promise it won't get really angsty though...that I can't say.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost one in the morning here where I am, but I finally finished the chapter and I have the chance to post it so here you go my loves. xox

He flew into Merlin’s office, the door slamming hard against the concrete wall as he threw it open. Merlin nearly fell out of his chair before turning to face Harry with an annoyed look on his face, “What in the Hell?”

“It’s Goodwell. He’s, he’s got Eggsy.”

Merlin’s shoulders fell, knowing that there was no way this situation was going to end particularly well. He didn’t have any of the details but he knew that it wasn’t going to be an easy task to get the boy back. “What do we know?”

“Nothing,” Harry admitted bitterly as he paced the length of Merlin’s office, “All I know is that Goodwell has him. I have no idea where they are.”

“Ah, yes,” Merlin turned back to his computer screen, quickly typing away, “always nice to go into these situations with the upper hand.”

“Merlin, I need your help on this.”

He got up and reached into Harry’s jacket, taking his phone, “What do you think I’m doing?”

Harry walked and looked over Merlin’s shoulder as the man punched in numbers from Harry’s phone, pulling up a map. Within a few moments he zeroed in on an area of the map, which had a larger radius than Harry had been hoping for. Although, he wasn’t really in a place to complain since this was the closest they’d been to getting Goodwell in years.

“How did you…?”

“You should know better than to ask about things that are above your head,” Merlin gave him a cheeky smile, “But regardless, without his GPS I can’t give you any kind of an exact location, however,” and he delved into a brief explanation of how he tapped into Eggsy’s phone records, determining what towers the cell signal had bounced off of, which gave them their radius.

“You’re straight out of a movie, Merlin.”

“I wouldn’t know,” he tried to keep a straight face, but a smile found its way, “It’s hard to watch movies from under the boulder I call my home,” he cleared his throat and focused back on the task at hand, “But that’s not the point. You know Goodwell better than anyone else. Here’s your radius, you need to decide which places he’d most likely go to with a hostage in hopes to, well, piss you off.”

Harry pulled up a chair and started looking at all the buildings, mentally crossing some off of his list without a second thought. As he was doing so, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Merlin called as Harry pointed to a few places that were a possibility.

“What’re you boys up to?” Roxy quietly shut the door behind her. She walked over and glanced at the map, “Grownup hide and seek?”

“Essentially,” Merlin said as he turned back to her, “only there’s lives on the line.”

“ _What_? What happened?”

“Goodwell got his hands on Harry’s neighbor.”

“Well _someone_ had to,” Roxy mumbled under her breath. Harry shot her a look and she held her hands up in surrender, “Sorry, not the time. But what are you going to do?”

“You saved us the trouble of calling you and waiting for you to get here. Because you two are going to be tackling this together,” Merlin’s face showed just how hard he was working at coming up with a plan on the spot. He didn’t mind it when he had some information to work off of, but a vague radius and the fact that the person who was captured had no idea what was going on made the whole process a bit more stressful, limiting their options a bit.

Roxy was tempted to ask him if he would consider stepping back out into the field, for old time’s sake and having another mission with Harry, but she bit her tongue, figuring they could have that discussion at a later date when things weren’t so tense. “Whatever you need. I was actually stopping in to see if there was anything that you could send me off on. I love being home but you all have seemed to turn me into a bit of a travel-bug. Where are we going?”

“Not too far,” Harry finally spoke up as he tapped the screen with his finger, causing Merlin to cringe a bit, “He’s here. I know it.”

“This man really is determined to make his life a spy film, isn’t he?”

“I guess so,” Harry sighed as he stared at the spot on the map. He’d taken Goodwell there on their 24-hour stretch before the final task. He’d wanted so badly to see what Kingsman was currently working on. Obviously, Harry couldn’t indulge him in that too much for safety’s sake. But he gave Andrew the next best thing, and showed him a building where they’d just had an insane shoot-out, and nearly caused the building to collapse because one agent got a little over-eager and decided that a grenade was necessary, and that was back before they had really learned how to downsize the impact radius of their explosives.

“Please tell me you’ve been a bit more cautious with your recruits since then?” Merlin knew exactly what the place was as soon as Harry pointed it out. When it had happened, Merlin was in charge of coming up with some kind of press release, filled with a very convincing string of excuses to explain the condition of the building.

“You two can hash this out later,” Roxy said as she stood back, arms folded waiting for Harry, “We have a person to rescue and another person to kill. Let’s get a move on.”

As the two of them made their way out to Harry’s car, Merlin pulled Roxy aside. “Lancelot, I know I’ve warned you about Andrew Goodwell before, but-”

“I understand, Merlin, I really do. He’s dangerous and manipulative and just overall psychotic. I got it. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“It’s not Goodwell that I’m warning you about,” he took a deep breath, “I need you to be prepared for Harry not being able to complete this task. He was faced with it before and couldn’t do it. If that happens again, I need you to be ready to step up and do what needs to be done, even if it doesn’t get done in the way we’d all like it to. Clear?”

She took a deep breath, “Crystal.”

 

Eggsy for once was thanking his lucky stars that he had someone like Dean in his life. He was able to block out most of the pain. He’d always just shut his eyes tight and pretended to be somewhere else. Not like somewhere on a beach or anything, but a place that was nothing but blackness, where time and pain didn’t really exist. It wasn’t foolproof, but more often than not it helped make some of the pain seem less harsh, and he could use all the help he could get when it came to Dean and that whole gang. Granted, Goodwell didn’t hit nearly as hard as Eggsy’s stepfather when he was drunk, so it was a bit easier.

“You certainly can keep a tight lid, can’t you?” Goodwell asked as he paced.

Eggsy clenched his jaw for a moment, trying to ignore the fact that he felt blood starting to drip down the side of his face. “It’s easy ta do when you don’t know what the _fuck_ is going on.”

Countless times before Eggsy had used that excuse. He was so good at pleading ignorant that sometimes he forgot that he _did_ actually know things, often more than he should. But this time around he didn’t have the slightest clue, he was finally telling the truth, and it did him absolutely no good. For a few moments he entertained it as being a sick, twisted kind of karma for covering for his friends so many times, helping them escape whatever punishment they were supposed to get. If he survived whatever it was he was experiencing, he made a mental note to tell Alex, Ryan, and Jamal that they fucking owed him bigtime for that.

His roommates. They had no idea what was going on. It was probably better that way, but at the same time there would be no way for him to explain this if he made it out alive. Even if he told the truth they probably wouldn’t believe him. Anna was freaking out, Eggsy could tell by the constant calls. Alex had tried to get in touch, but Eggsy had to assume he wasn’t worried because it was just the once and his name hadn’t popped up on his phone since. But he was worried about Anna, because he knew how much she worried about him. It was a cycle the two of them seemed trapped in.

“So what’s gonna ‘appen if he doesn’t show up?” Eggsy asked, despite knowing that he should probably just keep his mouth shut.

“He will.”

“You seem pretty sure, bruv.”

“You don’t seem sure at all, why is that?”

“Why would he waste his time, and risk his _life_ for some kid he doesn’t even know?” Eggsy didn’t want to mention that he’d practically told Harry to fuck off only a few days before. He didn’t want to think that that would actually be enough of a reason for Harry not to follow through and try to save him. While Eggsy wouldn’t blame him, he wanted to assume Harry was better than that.

“You really do pick a story and cling to it, don’t you?”

“Says the guy who can’t let go of whatever happened wiff you ‘n Harry years ago.”

It was remarks like that, that made Goodwell want to just send a bullet through the boy’s skull right then and there. He knew that he couldn’t, though, because he’d lose his only bargaining chip. He could bring Eggsy as close to death as possible without pushing him over the edge, though, and that would suffice for the time being.

“Do you want me to kill you?” Goodwell asked, his voice filled with exasperation, “Is that what all this is supposed to achieve?”

Eggsy looked up at Goodwell, and then back at the ground, an exaggerated thinking expression on his face, “I’m not sure what I said that made you say that, but, no. I’m not psychotic, an’ I sure as fuck don’ have a death wish.”

“Then why don’t you just keep your mouth shut?”

Eggsy smirked, “Ya don’t know me, bruv. That ain’t my style.”

Goodwell sighed and walked out of the room, having to get away from the boy for a few minutes before he ended up killing him and blowing his entire plan away. Why this punk kid in his twenties was able to get under his skin was beyond him. The boy didn’t lead on that he knew anything and yet he was able to make Andrew want to just send him back to Harry and drop off the map again. The idea became more and more inviting with each word that came out of Eggsy’s mouth. Andrew didn’t know which he wanted more though, to just kill Eggsy, or simply go beneath the radar again.

While he was gone, Eggsy finally let out a shaky breath and let himself come completely to terms with the reality that he was in. What little he’d learned about Harry and the whole situation from what Goodwell had told him seemed so complex and confusing. It hurt his head to try and figure out, and the multiple blows he’d suffered certainly weren’t helping any. All he really knew though, was that this was something so much larger than just him or Harry. Eggsy was just a pawn in the grand scheme of things, and his life essentially had no value in this case. He didn’t know what that would end up meaning for him if Harry did show up, but he tried not to get his hopes up too high.

 

Harry and Roxy made their way to the building, and for once Roxy got to see firsthand what kind of driver Harry was capable of being. He was usually so calm and collected, but he tore down streets, whipping around corners like his life depended on it. She gripped the handle above the door and prayed that they’d make it there in one piece, otherwise Eggsy would definitely be screwed.

Harry all but jumped out of the car, surprisingly remembering to lock it before taking off down the street. The building was in the middle of the block, go figure, so it was in the center of everything around. The last time Harry had dealt with a situation in that vicinity it took a stressful toll on everyone involved to cover it up after the fact. He didn’t care to have a repeat experience. It would be different, since the building had been more or less vacant since the last time Kingsman set foot inside. The only people who really spent time there anymore weren’t ones that would be noticed if they disappeared. Still, though, Harry didn’t know what kind of precautions Goodwell had taken in terms of security and manpower.

“Merlin, do you know what kind of surveillance and lockdown system he has in place?”

“A damn good one,” he grumbled as he typed away, trying to combat every sort of firewall and encryption in the book, “This isn’t going to be quick enough for your liking, Harry.”

“Can you find any way to get inside the system, something that will just get us to where we need to be without being seen ahead of time?”

“Not without tripping some sort of alarm.”

“Shit,” Harry reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun, taking a deep breath before looking over at Roxy, “I know it wasn’t fair of me to drag you into all this.”

She shook her head as she reached for one of her own weapons, “If I didn’t want to be here, Harry, I wouldn’t be.”

“Merlin, Goodwell is expecting us either way. So, we might as well be the ones to set off the alarm. Keep an eye and an ear out for us though, alright?”

“When do I not?”

Roxy walked up to the front door of the building, getting down on one knee as she made quick work of the lock. She pushed the door open, expecting sirens or something of that nature to start going off, but she was greeted with only silence. She looked back at Harry for reassurance, and he nodded for her to go forward. She kept her gun in hand and ready for whatever may come popping out of nowhere.

Even though there were no sirens, no bells and whistles, Goodwell was still fully aware that someone had entered the building. The lock being picked tripped an alarm that set off his phone. He glanced down, being able to stream the security camera feeds directly to his phone. He smiled smugly to himself as he walked back to the room where he was keeping Eggsy.

“Looks like your friend brought company.”

Eggsy couldn’t hide the relief on his face as he looked over at Goodwell, just glad that Harry wasn’t going to leave him to die. He had to ask, though, “Comp’ny?”

“A young blonde girl, probably around your age. Perhaps that Anna girl who was calling?”

Eggsy laughed, “No way. Harry don’t even know she exists. I ‘ave no idea who’s with him,” he lied.

“Awful circumstances for you two to meet under, then.”

“Well, considerin’ I’ll prob’ly be dead by the end-a this, it doesn’t matter too much, does it?”

“He shows up and yet you still have no assurance that you’ll make it out alive,” it was a statement not a question.

Eggsy shrugged, “You’re his mission, bruv. He wants you dead more than he wants me alive.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this chapter at like 2 in the morning and was so tempted to publish it right then, but I told myself to sleep and then re-read it again when I woke up.  
> I've never been more stressed about writing something for a story than I was about writing this chapter. I hope you all like it. xox

Goodwell knelt down in front of Eggsy, holding up a piece of duct tape, “Hate to do this but…” he slapped it over the boy’s mouth and went back through the same door he’d walked in, leaving Eggsy alone in the room once more.

Within a few minutes, there was the sound of a dog barking. Judging by the high pitch of it, Eggsy could only assume it was Goodwell’s dog. He felt bad for the poor thing, vowing that if he escaped this whole ordeal he’d take the dog with him. His roommates would be mad at first, sure, but after a while they’d love him just as much. All that, provided Eggsy didn’t have a bullet go ringing through his head in the next few hours.

Harry and Roxy double-teamed the guards they came across. With the help of Merlin they were able to kill most all of them without having to put on much of a show. For as educated as Goodwell was in the art of being a criminal, he certainly didn’t have the best bodyguards. Clearly he put more effort into everything else about his plan. Harry wasn’t fooled, though. He knew that the former recruit was much smarter than that.

Roxy reloaded her gun while they had a pause in the flood of guards. She strained her ear and heard the barking. “Harry,” she whispered, “he’s got dogs?”

“ _Dog_ ,” Harry replied, “Singular. I’m surprised he kept the one from training.”

“You didn’t think that he’d…” she looked appalled.

He shrugged, “He’s not right, Lancelot.”

The door flew open as Harry kicked through it, not wanting to waste any more time with the lock-picking nonsense now that it was obvious Goodwell knew they were there. After all, he couldn’t imagine that they’d killed all those guards without any kind of word getting back to their boss.

The first thing that Harry saw when he entered the room was Eggsy, bruised and bloodied, but still looking as defiant and ready as ever. Harry felt his heart crumple a bit inside his chest as he took in what the boy had had to go through because of him. He didn’t know how he’d ever make it up to Eggsy, but he made a silent promise that he would somehow.

“Eggsy,” Harry walked over, slowly peeling the duct tape off the boy’s mouth.

Immediately Eggsy spat out, “Look out, Rox!”

She whipped around just in time to see the guard that was mere inches from her. She slipped her knife down out of her sleeve and brought it up and straight across the man’s neck, dropping him with a loud thud and a splatter of blood. Eggsy cringed as Harry began to cut the ties off of him. He couldn’t peel his eyes away from the man on the ground, “That is _rank_ , bruv.”

Roxy rolled her eyes, keeping her gun at the ready in case someone else decided to join the party, “It’s either that or die, Eggsy.”

“Where’s Goodwell?” Harry asked.

Eggsy shrugged, “Dunno, honestly. Once he saw that you two got here he slapped tape over my mouth and took off through there,” he gestured towards the door next to the one they’d come in through, “No clue where it goes. It’s where ‘e’s gone in and out of the entire time I’ve been here,” he paused, “’Arry, what the _fuck_ is going on?”

He shook his head, “I’ll explain later. We need to get you out of here.”

“Not so fast,” Goodwell’s voice echoed through the room.

Harry turned and saw him standing there, gun pointed directly at Eggsy. Roxy grabbed her gun, but Goodwell heard her. He laughed, “Unless you want both these men dead, Darling, I’d put that back.”

Roxy’s brows furrowed in frustration, hating that he caught her and hating that he called her _Darling_. It made her skin crawl. More than that it made her want to shoot him right then and there, but she wasn’t confident in her ability to be able to do that without causing everyone else in the room to die as well.

“It’s really a shame,” Andrew walked towards Eggsy, gun still pointed right between the boy’s eyes, “This all could’ve gone so differently.”

“Ya think?” Eggsy snapped.

Harry’s eyes widened, begging the boy not to make any more smart remarks. Suddenly the bruises and cuts on the boy’s face were all making sense. Eggsy couldn’t stop himself from saying those things, and Goodwell couldn’t stop himself from reacting to them. In light of that, Harry was quite surprised that Eggsy was still alive.

Goodwell reached forward and grabbed Eggsy by the collar, pressing the gun directly beneath his chin, “Keep testing me, boy. I can kill you now.”

“Then do it,” Eggsy didn’t break his stare.

Harry’s heart was in his throat. Eggsy sounded too confident when he said that. “ _Andrew_ ,” he finally managed to spit out the words, “Let him go. I’m here now, and we can settle this. He and Lancelot have nothing to do with any of this.”

He smiled at Harry, the same exaggerated, insincere smile he’d perfected over the years, “You’re right,” he tossed Eggsy on the ground towards Roxy. The boy scrambled to get back on his own two feet, Roxy protectively pushing him behind her. “But like you taught me, Harry,” he turned back to Eggsy and Roxy, “you can’t have any loose ends running around.”

He let out a whistle and before either of them knew what was happening, a guard had rendered each of them immobile, with their arms pinned to their sides, gun pressed flush against their temples. Eggsy was trembling, unable to keep any part of his body still. Roxy struggled against the man’s grip, letting out a frustrated sigh.

“ _Shoot him_ , Harry!” Eggsy was afraid of what would happen but he was more afraid of having to watch Harry die.

“You shoot me,” Goodwell said calmly, “and their brains will be decorating the walls within a matter of seconds.”

Roxy took a deep breath as she tried to figure out something, _anything_ to change the situation from what it currently was. She knew all the halls that they’d come through and she vaguely remembered the number of doors to emergency stairways. She looked over at Eggsy, who was biting his lip hard enough to draw more blood.

She waited for him to look over at her, and when he did she gave him the slightest hint of a nod. He looked at her, not trying to hide his confusion, but she had to hope that he would follow her lead. She writhed against the guards grip to hide the sound of her heels clicking together. She drove the toe of her shoe into the man’s calf, causing him to let out a scream of pain, releasing her from his grip. She jumped and nailed Eggsy’s guard in the throat with her signet ring, grabbing the boy and yanking him through the door.

Goodwell had turned to see what was going on, which gave Harry enough time to knock the gun out of the man’s hands and bring him down to the ground with a strong punch to the cheek. Goodwell spat blood onto the ground and looked back at Harry, “Back to this again?”

Roxy pulled Eggsy into the first side room that she could find. He looked out the door and back down the hallway for all of two seconds, and when he turned back Roxy had a gun in each hand. Eggsy’s eyes widened, suddenly fearing for his safety all over again.

“You know how to shoot a gun?” she asked as she held it out to him.

“Seems pretty simple,” he carefully took it from her, “Aim and fire, right?”

She nodded, “It’s got a pretty little kick, though. Don’t let it get you.”

“’Ow bad could it be?” he got up and walked towards the door on the opposite side of the room from them. He grabbed the handle, praying that it would turn all the way. He let out a sigh of relief when the door swung wide open.

Jason came running at them, barking as though his life depended on it. Roxy raised her gun and pointed it right at the dog. Eggsy’s jaw dropped and he dove in front of him, horror all over his face, “What is _wrong_ wiff you? Don’t shoot ‘im!”

“He’s gonna give us away!”

He shook his head, turning back to the dog. He put his finger up to his lips, “Jason, quiet,” the dog whimpered a bit but stopped barking, “Sit. Stay,” Eggsy held his hand out for a moment to make sure the dog would stay put, and then waved Roxy to follow him, “C’mon!”

She shook her head, not believing what she just witnessed.

They walked into a room filled with monitors, streams from every security camera and alarm system. It gave Merlin’s setup a run for its money. Eggsy’s jaw dropped, not ever having seen something so expansive. “Seriously, what the fuck do you guys _do_?”

She grabbed him and jerked him so he was facing her, “Can you focus, please? Your life is on the line right now, Eggsy. And mine and Harry’s are too.”

He glared at her, “Oh, oh really? Thanks, bruv. I fuckin’ missed that this whole time I’ve been tied to a fuckin’ chair gettin’ the _shit_ beat outta me.”

Roxy bit the inside of her cheek, “Sorry. But please, work with me, alright?” she took a deep breath, “Here’s what we’re going to do…”

 

Harry and Goodwell were locked in the same kind of fight they had been months back. No weapons, just pure manpower. As much as he wanted to kill Harry, he knew that he couldn’t, not yet. He had something much better in mind than just killing his past mentor with a bullet to the brain. He wanted Harry to suffer the way he had, watch everything fall out from underneath him and make him _want_ to die.

Blood streamed out of Harry’s nose as he cracked his elbow across the side of Goodwell’s face, sending the man flying off of him. Harry quickly moved and got Andrew pinned to the concrete floor, one hand clenched tightly around the man’s throat.

As Goodwell fought to get a decent breath, he reached behind his back and pulled around a gun, holding it right against Harry’s head, “Let, me, go,” he choked out.

Harry tightened his grip, “Not a chance.”

Goodwell wrapped his finger around the trigger, but before he could pull it, there was the sound of another gun being cocked, and suddenly Roxy’s voice cut through the air, cold as ice, “Put that down,” she had her gun aimed perfectly at Goodwell’s head.

“Lancelot,” Harry snapped, “What’re you still doing here?”

The distraction caused his grip to loosen just enough for Goodwell to take a breath and whack him upside the head with the butt of his gun. Roxy fired off a few shots but missed as Goodwell moved, shooting at her and catching her just below the collarbone, where the Kingsman suit wasn’t protecting her. She yelled and fell down, placing her hand over the wound. Eggsy came flying out of the room Goodwell had gone off to so many times, dropping his gun and kneeling down beside Roxy.

“Eggsy, no,” she shook her head and nodded back towards Goodwell, “Go, get out of here,” she picked up his gun, “Take it and run.”

“It’s a bit late for me to turn tail now, innit?”

“Don’t be daft,” she snapped.

Eggsy wasn’t listening to her though. He picked up his gun and turned around, only to see Goodwell pointing his gun at Harry. Eggsy didn’t think twice before lifting his gun and firing off, miraculously sending the bullet right into the man’s hand, causing him to scream and drop to the ground, clutching his bleeding, mangled hand.

Harry and Roxy were staring at the boy in awe, and Eggsy was looking down at the gun that he held as if the thing had gotten a mind of its own and done that. He’d never actually shot a gun before, and he couldn’t believe that he actually accomplished something with it his first time out. He wanted to be proud of himself but he knew that that would have to wait for later, if there was a “later” for him at that point.

Eggsy pointed the gun right between Goodwell’s eyes as he walked closer to the man, who was getting back up off the ground. His eyes were cold as he put his finger on the trigger, “One wouldn’t be enough.”

Within a split second, Goodwell knocked the gun from Eggsy’s hand, grabbing his knife from its holster with his good hand and pulling the boy so Eggsy’s back was against his chest. He held the knife dangerously close to the boy’s throat as Harry raised his weapon. Eggsy felt any and all security melt out of his body as he felt the blood from Goodwell’s hand soak through his shirt.

“I don’t want to do this, Andrew,” Harry’s voice had the slightest bit of a shake to it.

Eggsy writhed against the man’s grip, wanting to make a comment to Harry about how the man could possibly _not_ want to kill him at this point, but he couldn’t force the words past his lips though, which was probably for the best.

Goodwell pressed the knife harder against Eggsy’s throat, enough to draw the slightest bit of blood and causing the boy to flinch but then his entire body froze. The man smiled at Harry, “I’m going to make you watch yourself lose everything, Harry Hart. Then you’ll know.”

Harry fought to keep his composure, knowing that losing his shit would do nothing but cost Eggsy his life. He aimed to hit Goodwell anywhere, just so that he’d let Eggsy go and they could finish this off once and for all. But for every movement Harry’s eyes made it seemed as though Andrew as a few steps ahead. He had Eggsy perfectly positioned so that if Harry wanted to shoot him, the bullet would have to go through Eggsy first. Harry looked at the boy, whose eyes were filled with fear but his jaw was set with such certainty, he silently mouthed, “ _Do it_.”

Roxy grabbed her gun from its hiding place on her calf, taking advantage of her better angle on Goodwell. She took a deep breath and tried to block out the intense pain shooting across her chest as she aimed, firing off three shots in sequence: knee, liver, temple.

The first bullet hit Goodwell and he dragged the knife down the side of Eggsy’s neck as he let out a scream of pain, Eggsy doing the same as he jammed his elbow into the man’s stomach as the second bullet burrowed in. Goodwell was doubled over in agony, causing the third bullet to miss and find its home in the far wall. Andrew was hurt, but not quite dead, not yet. The knife clattered to the ground and Eggsy scrambled to grab it with the hand that wasn’t covering the gash on his neck. Adrenaline would get him through the next couple of minutes, after that blood loss was going to render him useless. He only needed a few minutes though.

He turned around and looked at Goodwell, taking his hand from the cut on his neck so he could place it around the man’s throat, lifting him up and pinning him against the wall like he’d done to Eggsy before. Eggsy pressed the knife against the man’s chest, not enough to break the skin but enough to make him squirm. He wanted to just give one final push and bring the entire debacle to a close. It seemed so easy to do in theory, and physically he was more than capable of doing it. But he wasn’t a killer. He was a lot of things that he shouldn’t have been, but a murderer wasn’t anywhere on that list. His eyes stayed trained on Goodwell’s as he tried to muster up the guts to stab him, but before he could, there was one last gunshot, and the man’s head slammed back against the wall, blood going everywhere including on Eggsy’s face.

Roxy heard the boy scream, but she was too busy trying to gather the strength to get back up onto her own two feet to truly figure out what was going on. Shooting from the ground was easy enough, but in order to get out she’d have to walk. Everything started to go fuzzy as she saw Harry lunge forward and grab who she had to assume was Eggsy.

The boy crumpled into Harry’s arms as he cast his gun aside. Something in the boy’s hesitation gave Harry the push he needed to do what he should’ve done months ago. Perhaps it was the fact that a soul as kind and loyal and worn out as Eggsy’s had been put through all of this because of Harry’s failures, and if the man was ever going to make it up to him this would be the only way to try and start. The next step was making sure the boy lived to see the next day.

Harry quickly took his tie off, turning it into a temporary bandage for the gash on the boy’s neck. He draped Eggsy’s one arm around his shoulder before scooping the boy up, head rested on Harry’s shoulders and legs draped across the man’s arms. He looked over for Roxy, who had managed to take a few steps and get her bearings.

“Let’s get out of here, Lancelot,” he rushed past her and went as fast as he could down the hallway with his newfound cargo.

When he reached the end of the hall, he turned to make sure that Roxy was alright, that her wound hadn’t gotten the better of her, but she was nowhere to be seen. He waited for a few moments and when she didn’t reappear, he started to head back to get her. He made it halfway down the hallway before she came out of one of the doors, dog nestled under her arm, clearly not happy about the situation as he wriggled and growled against her grip. Harry wanted to ask but knew that the questions could wait.

Roxy drove as the pug rode shotgun on the way back to HQ while Harry sat in the back, Eggsy draped across the seats with his head rested in Harry’s lap. Harry kept his fingers pressed to the boy’s wrist, assuring himself that the boy still had a pulse, that he would make it through this and things would somehow be okay. He tried not to focus on Eggsy’s ragged breathing, or the slow drip of blood that was starting down the boy’s neck. He forced himself to keep his attention on the pulsating beneath his fingertips. That was all there was to reality in that moment.

Roxy phoned Merlin as she tore down the streets, almost as bad as Harry had been on the way there. Merlin answered, his voice sounding frantic, “ _Lancelot_ , what the Hell happened? I lost _everything_ on you once you got past the first set of guards.”

She winced as she turned the wheel, “Goodwell must’ve locked the place down, made it a dead-zone for anything Kingsman,” she drew a short breath, “Get some medics on hand, yea?”

Merlin fought the urge to ask any obvious questions of what kind of shape they were all in. He instead responded with, “They’ll be on hand by the time you get here.”

She glanced at Harry through the rearview mirror for a moment before returning her attention to the road. Goodwell was dead, but as she looked at Eggsy fading in and out in the back seat, she knew their ordeal was far from over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yea, my fight-scene skills are a bit rusty, as I don't write them very often. But hopefully you guys were satisfied with this! ^.^  
> So now we get to move on to all the fun, emotional stuff. Yayyy!  
> As always, feedback and comments and suggestions and what-have-you are more than welcome!


	19. Chapter 19

Eggsy slowly opened his eyes, not sure of where he was or what was happening. He couldn’t tell if everything had just been something his mind conjured up, or if he actually went through it all. As his vision cleared, and he looked around the infirmary room, becoming slowly aware of every injury he had sustained, he knew that what happened was very much a part of his reality, not just a sick dream.

There was a scuffling on the end of his bed as JB waddled his way toward him. He nuzzled his head underneath Eggsy’s hand and laid down draped across the boy’s lap. Eggsy managed a tired smile as he lazily scratched the dog behind its ears.

He glanced over as he heard the door open, Roxy shutting it quietly behind her. When she turned around he saw the sling and bandages, feeling a pang of guilt shoot through him about it. He wanted to say something, but he couldn’t quite manage it.

She looked at him and smiled, “Glad to see you’re finally up.” She walked over, handing a small treat to Jason, who’d grown to like her over the previous few days when she was the only one who fed him. She filled a cup with water and handed it to Eggsy, “That dog hasn’t left this room since we brought you in.”

Eggsy cleared his throat after taking a long drink, thankful that he could finally speak, “’Ow long have I been here?”

Roxy looked up at the clock on the wall, “Going on fifty hours.”

“ _What_?”

“He fucked you up, Eggsy,” she said it simply but the look in her eyes let him know that she really did feel bad, “I’m surprised you stayed conscious as long as you did.”

He nodded, not because he understood what she was telling him, but so that she knew he was listening to her. Honestly he had no idea what was going on, everything seemed like a blur and whatever pain medication they had him on certainly wasn’t helping the recollection process.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said, “about, y’know…” he nodded towards her bandages.

She smiled good-naturedly, “Occupational hazard.”

Eggsy glanced around the room, “Wh-where’s Harry?”

Roxy chuckled as she walked around to the other side of Eggsy’s bed, “He’s another one who’s hardly left your side,” she slowly peeled back the curtain, revealing Harry on the next bed over, still in the same set of clothes they gave him when he got to HQ. His glasses were skewed as he laid on his side facing Eggsy’s bed.

Eggsy reached and placed his hand over the bandage on his neck, fighting the urge to pick at it. He looked up at Roxy, “Now what?”

She laughed, “I honestly don’t have the slightest clue. I’m going to go get Merlin, as I’m sure he and Harry will be able to give you a _much_ better answer to that question,” she walked toward the door as Harry started to stir, waking at the sound of her voice. She looked back at Eggsy for a moment, “You know, for someone who didn’t know what was going on, you weren’t half bad.”

He chuckled, wincing at the pain in his neck as he did, “Thanks.”

When Roxy left the room, Harry sat up, taking his glasses off to wipe the sleep away from his eyes. He looked over at Eggsy and couldn’t help but to smile. He couldn’t even try to express how grateful he was that Eggsy was alive and seemingly okay. For a little while he was nervous that the boy would never wake up. Everyone on their medical staff, and even Merlin, assured him that that wasn’t a possibility, but Harry still tore his hair out over it.

“Glad to see you’re up,” Harry said as he got off his bed, straightening his suit.

“Kind of,” Eggsy offered a crooked smile, “Can’t really move too much.”

“I’m surprised you could move at all, Eggsy,” his face showed nothing but worry, “He hurt you something awful.”

Eggsy’s brows furrowed as he tried to remember just what exactly Goodwell had done to him. He didn’t think it was anything that much worse than what he’d been through with Dean. Only difference was he was tied to a chair. “I don’ remember anything bein’ that bad, ‘Arry,” he shrugged slightly.

Harry nodded to the x-rays and other charts on the wall across from Eggsy’s bed, “Do you see all these? These are all you.”

His eyes widened in wonder, “No shit.”

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, “Yes. Well, if you can’t see, you have more fractures and strains and what have you than any other living person I’ve ever seen.”

Eggsy looked over at Harry, “You don’t think Andy did all that, do you?”

“You have another explanation?”

“You wanna know the last time I went to a doctor?” he didn’t give the man a chance to answer, “I wanna to know too. I got no clue when the last time I got looked at was, bruv. Mosta those are probably breaks that never healed thanks ta Dean bustin’ me up all the time. I hardly notice it anymore. If anythin’, Andy just made ‘em worse or brought ‘em back or however that fuckin’ works.”

“Why do you call him Andy?”

“That’s how he introduced ‘imself to me,” he paused, his face drained as he remembered what happened, “’E’s dead now, isn’t he?”

Harry nodded slowly, “Yes he is.”

Eggsy fought to keep his hands from trembling as it all came back in vivid flashes. All at once he realized just how in over his head he was with everything that was going on around him. He watched Goodwell die. Eggsy had his hands on him as he did. He had Goodwell’s blood on him, literally and figuratively. Jason whimpered as he felt Eggsy’s leg shake, curling closer to the boy.

Before Harry could offer any words of comfort, Merlin strolled in, tablet tucked under his arm. He raised his eyebrows at Eggsy, “Surprised you’re awake.”

Eggsy kept his eyes on Merlin for a moment. It hit him that that was the man in nearly all the photos in Harry’s spare room. Whenever Eggsy heard Harry on the phone with him, Eggsy always had a very specific picture of what Merlin looked like in his head. He didn’t quite look like real life Merlin, but this all seemed to make a bit more sense. However, it made a million more questions fly through Eggsy’s mind. He tried to push them all side and focus on the confusion that was directly affecting him. “That seems to be the trend,” Eggsy mumbled as he tried to sit farther upright. He looked at Merlin, “What happens to me now?”

He purposefully kept his eyes off of Harry, “Depends on what you want.”

“I _want_ to know what the fuck is going on,” Eggsy turned to Harry, “I’ve known you for months and haven’t gotten a straight fuckin’ answer about anything.”

“Eggsy, I-”

Merlin stepped in, “That’s not his fault. He wasn’t allowed to tell you anything about what he does. Agency rules.”

“Agency? What agency is this?”

Harry opened his mouth to answer but Merlin shot him a look to keep him quiet for the time being. He looked back at Eggsy, “Before we tell you any of that, I need to know a few things first. Are you alright to answer some questions?”

“Anything that will get me the fuck outta here, bruv.”

“Spectacular. Now, you’ve got two options at this point, Eggsy. They’ve each got consequences. The first, we can tell you what you want to know about what all of this has been about. Harry can tell you what he does, within reason that is, and then you’ll have a solid explanation as to why these past few days have been the way they are. But if that’s the case, you can’t breathe a word of it to anyone. Not your family, not your friends, not your girlfriend. If you do, I’ll see to it personally that you and whoever it is that you tell won’t get the chance to tell anyone anything ever again, clear?” Eggsy swallowed hard and nodded as his hands shook, but he let Merlin continue, “Your other option is, we can give you this,” he picked up a small syringe from the medical cart, “You’ll fall asleep, and we can bring you home. When you wake up, you won’t remember a thing. The last thing you’ll recall is getting out of your exams.”

“ _Shit_ , my exam!”

Merlin held his hand up as a sign for the boy to calm down, “We took care of it.”

“’Ow’d you manage that? Ya call my professor and say, ‘Sorry Gary Unwin wasn’t in attendance for his exam, he was too busy being held captive in a fucking _hostage situation_ ,’? ‘Cause that I’d pay ta see. O’Malley doesn’t give a shit ‘bout excuses, bruv.”

“You don’t need to worry about the exam.”

“An what about my roommates? Ya talk to them too?”

“Eggsy,” Harry’s voice was as calm as it could be, “I know this is all a bit overwhelming. If you want, we can just clear it all away.”

“Red pill or blue one, yea?”

Harry turned to Merlin, “That’s from The Ma-”

“I know what it’s from, Harry,” Merlin said bitterly.

Eggsy glanced down at the dog in his lap, who was starting to fall back to sleep. He thought over the two options, not that he considered it to be much of a choice. While having it all wiped away seemed like an inviting prospect, he'd lived enough of his life in the dark. He didn't want to continue it that way. He looked back up at the two men standing in front of him, “I wanna know.”

“You sure you can handle it?” Merlin asked, “And keep your mouth shut about it afterwards?”

“I’m no snitch, bruv. My friends’ records c’n prove that. I ain’t never grassed anyone up.”

Merlin couldn’t hide the fact that he wasn’t totally convinced. However, Harry was all too happy to finally be able to explain to the poor boy why things were the way they were. “What do you want to know, Eggsy?”

“The same thing I’ve wanted to know since I started buggin’ you, ‘Arry. What the Hell do you do?”

“I wasn’t lying when I told you I worked for Kingsman. But I’m not just a tailor.”

“Really?” there was an amused glint in Eggsy’s eyes, “Never woulda guessed.”

Merlin wanted to stay and make sure that Harry didn’t overstep any boundaries. Since Eggsy got thrown into the middle of things, he was entitled to know the basics of what was going on, but Merlin knew better than almost anyone that once Harry opened the floodgates it could be damn near impossible to close them again. But as he looked back and forth between the two of them, he realized that there wasn’t much he could do that would make a bit of difference anyway. If Harry wanted to tell Eggsy something, he’d certainly find a way. He silently excused himself and made his way back to his office.

He walked in, eyes glued to the floor as he shut the door behind him. When he finally looked up, he saw Roxy sitting in his chair, spinning in circles as she waited for him to come back. “Lancelot,” he smiled slightly, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

She looked over at him, getting out of his chair so he could sit down, “I just wanted to know what was going to happen, you know, to Eggsy.”

Merlin sighed as he set his tablet down, “Gave him his two options, and he wants to know everything that he can. At this point, we’ll treat him the same way we treat the recruits who don’t make the cut.”

“That’s not exactly fair, is it?” she looked at Merlin, who didn’t seem to quite grasp what she meant. She sighed, “He didn’t _ask_ for this, Merlin. His circumstance is totally different than everyone who willingly threw themselves into Kingsman.”

“He’s actively choosing to remember, not only that, but to learn more. We gave him the option of bracketed, short-term amnesia, and he said no. He’s on the same plane as everyone else now.”

“What’s Arthur have to say about all this?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

“You haven’t talked to him about this yet?”

“Harry wanted to wait until Eggsy came-to. Which makes sense, we can’t tell Arthur everything if the situation hasn’t even been completely dealt with.”

“Can’t see _that_ backfiring terribly.”

“As always, Lancelot, your support is much appreciated,” he gave a cheeky smile. “But could you go check in on them? Make sure that Harry isn’t giving away every single piece of Kingsman information to the boy?”

“Of course,” she paused before closing the door behind her, “You know, Merlin, one of these days you’ll have to get comfortable calling me Roxy again.”

He gave her a soft smile before turning back to his wall of monitors, “One of these days.”

She slipped into the hospital room and found a seat on the bed that Harry had taken over while Eggsy was unconscious. She looked on silently, watching Eggsy’s face grow more confused as Harry continued to try and answer the boy’s questions to the best of his ability. Harry sat on the edge of the boy’s bed, and Roxy couldn’t miss the look of concern on the man’s face as he told Eggsy everything that he could without getting the boy into more trouble.

“So you’re telling me that that guy,” Eggsy pressed his hand to his temple, “has just been really fuckin’ pissed at you all these years and has been doing everything he can to fuck with you?”

Harry couldn’t help but to smile at how Eggsy simplified everything in his mind, “Essentially, yes.”

“And this, this agency the two of you work for,” he glanced at Roxy for a moment, “this is your job? You kill people who want to kill people?”

“Yes. We protect people who don’t know that they need to be protected.”

Eggsy shook his head, “This is over my paygrade, bruv.”

“I know it’s a lot to take in.”

“Is this, like, it for me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Am I gonna be taken hostage again any time soon? I’d like to know now so I can brace myself,” his tone was light but there was a flicker of resentment in his eyes.

“You’re safe, Eggsy. I promise.”

There was a long bout of silence, “Am I, y’know, allowed to go home?”

“As long as you take that dog,” Roxy chimed in with a small smile.

Eggsy grinned at her, “Thanks fer getting him, Rox.”

“Figured you’d never forgive me if I didn’t.”

Harry helped Eggsy stand up from the hospital bed, trying to not pay too much mind to the pain written all over the boy’s face. Goodwell didn’t have a slow enough death to make up for the pain he brought on Eggsy, and Harry wished there was something he could do to change it. He’d find a way, somehow.

Roxy walked with them to Harry’s car, holding Jason’s leash in her hand as the dog padded quickly alongside them. She set the dog in the back seat and walked over to Eggsy, “You sure you don’t need to stay in a hospital or something?”

He shook his head, “I just wanna go home.”

She nodded understandingly, “Alright, well, take care, yea?” she handed him a small bottle of pills, “If your injuries act up take one. _One_.”

He tucked them into his pocket, “One, got it,” he winked, “Thanks Roxy.”

She gave him a quick hug with her good arm, “Be safe. Good luck with everything.”

“You too.”

As Harry drove off, he turned to Eggsy and asked, “Do you mind coming over for a few minutes? There’s just a couple things I want to talk to you about.”

He didn’t want to be rude, but more than anything he just wanted to get home, “We c’n talk about it now, bruv. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

“I’m just worried is all.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes and looked out the window, “Not this again.”

“What? You can’t tell me it’s unfounded.”

“I told you, I’m not gonna rat on you and your whole group back there, aight? Honestly I’ve been wishing I never asked you anythin’ in the first place.”

“My concern isn’t that you’re going to expose Kingsman, Eggsy.”

“Then what is it?”

“Can we talk about this when we get to my house? I can’t focus on driving and having this conversation right now.”

Eggsy sighed and gently rested his head back against the seat, trying not to move too quickly. He swore he could feel his brain moving inside his skull at that point. He let his eyes drift shut as Harry cruised along the road. The man looked over at him for a few precious moments before returning his attention to the road.

Eggsy opened his eyes just before they arrive on their home street. He let out a sigh of relief at finally being back in familiar surroundings. Harry pulled into his driveway and Eggsy was able to slowly get himself out of the car on his own.

“So what’s goin’ on, bruv?” Eggsy asked as they walked into Harry’s living room.

“I’m worried that you’re not alright.”

“Well I’m a bit banged up if ya haven’t noticed,” his sarcasm was bitter.

“Yes, I’m aware, and I feel awful for that. But that’s not what I’m talking about. You were handling everything startlingly well up until the point where Goodwell died.”

“Well it ain’t every day someone gets shot while I’ve got a knife to their chest, ‘Arry. Maybe for you it does, but that was a new one for me.”

“I know it was, and that’s what’s got me concerned.”

“What, you afraid I’m gonna dive off the deep end?”

Harry didn’t say anything, but his silence was answer enough. Eggsy clenched his jaw, wanting to be angry at the insinuation but knowing Harry’s concern wasn’t all that far-fetched. “Please, be honest with me,” there was desperation in Harry’s voice, “Are you going to be alright?”

“How’m I supposed to answer that? I don’t fuckin’ know if I’ll be alright. Jesus, bruv, even _before_ all this shit happened I wasn’t sure if I was gonna be _alright_ ,” the apparent stability Eggsy had had back in the infirmary was quickly dissolving away.

“If you ever need anything, I-”

“Fergive me, but I think I’ll pass on that offer fer a bit. I’m not sure I can risk taking anythin’ from you right now.”

“I told you, Eggsy, you’re safe now.”

“Am I though, ‘Arry? ‘Cos I thought I was safe before, at least from you, but look how well _that_ played out.”

“Eggsy, I’m so terribly sorry about this entire thing. I never meant for you to-”

“ _What_?” Eggsy raised his voice, “ _Sorry_? That’s a bit lacking, innit? Bruv, let me explain something to you. This,” he stood as he gestured to himself and then to Harry, “isn’t a _sorry_ sorta situation. _Sorry_ is when I forgot ta tell Anna I couldn’t make it to a study session. _Sorry_ is when I mixed up dinner orders for the guys. What happened to me, no, sorry doesn’t even _begin_ ta cover it. You shoulda given me some kinda fuckin’ head’s up when I told you that guy was at your house to begin with. I get it, ya couldn’t tell me what you do or how you knew him or whatever shit I listened to you and Merlin bang on about. But you coulda at least done me right and told me that he was dangerous or somefin’. Christ.”

Harry had been expecting this outburst back in the infirmary when Eggsy finally came to. He had prepared himself for it then. He wasn’t sure how to handle it now, like all of the lines he had rehearsed in his head suddenly ran for the hills. He slowly stood up off the couch, “Why didn’t you say this before?”

“’Cos I didn’t wanna throw a bitch-fit in fronta the people you work wiff. You’re welcome fer that, by the way,” he ran his fingers through his hair.

Harry took a step towards him, “Eggsy, I swear, I didn’t-”

Eggsy quickly stepped back, holding his hands up, “No. Look, I’m sticking with what I told you before all this shit went down. You keep doin’ your Kingsman, James Bond, Saving the World crap, which I _swear_ I won’t tell no one about, and I’m just gonna go back to my life and try to act like this didn’t totally fuck me up, ya get me?” he didn’t give the man an actual chance to respond, “Goodbye, Harry.”

He took off out the front of the house, and Harry knew that chasing after him was futile. He cringed as the door slammed shut. He sighed and walked back into his kitchen, pouring himself a drink and collapsing into a chair at the table. He didn’t know what he had expected exactly, but he had been hoping for something better than that.  
Eggsy took a deep breath and opened the back door to Harry’s car, gently scooping the pug off the seat. He unlatched the collar, not wanting to have anything to remind him or the dog of Goodwell.

“I guess I can’t expect you to respond to something too different from Jason,” he scratched the dog behind its ears, “But I’ll be damned if I leave your name as is,” he thought about it as he walked up his front walk, “What about Jack? Jack Bauer?” The pug looked up at him, barked, and wiggled in his arms. Eggsy laughed despite everything he had been through, “Alright, Jack Bauer it is. I knew I liked you. We’ll stick with the JB theme, yea?”

He walked in, and surprisingly he was the only one home. Part of him was relieved though, this way he could come up with a story to explain the dog, and more importantly, the huge bandage on the side of his neck and the fact that it hurt to move almost anything. Alex was going to have a conniption regardless of what Eggsy told him, so he had to make a halfway decent story so his roommate didn’t call the cops. 

He grabbed his pack of cigarettes and lighter off the top of the dresser sat down on his bed, lighting one as Jack immediately nestling into the boy’s lap. “What’m I gonna do?” Eggsy said quietly as he gently pet the dog’s back.

 

The following morning, Harry reported back to HQ for a conference with Arthur and Merlin. It was mostly to discuss the mission, although the formalities regarding Harry’s physical well-being were addressed. The whole time Harry could see it on Merlin’s face that he knew Harry’s physical being wasn’t what was at stake for the time being.  
Arthur was, as always, 110% business. Harry gave the play-by-play of what had happened with Goodwell in the abandoned building, and what had been implemented since the target’s death. Since Goodwell was on top of most food chains, things would quickly being to crumble once Merlin was able to get into the systems and Roxy was able to do follow-ups on anyone who didn’t comply with the new orders immediately. Arthur seemed impressed, which wasn’t what Harry had been expecting seeing as how it had taken so long to get to the point they were at with the whole debacle.

“Any collateral damage?” Arthur asked.

Harry sighed, “The guards in the building were all killed, but besides that and some cosmetics to the inside of the rooms, no real damage to report.”

“Loose ends?”

Harry paused, but his expression stayed neutral as he mulled over thoughts of Eggsy for a few moments. “No.”

Merlin looked at his friend questioningly, but when he saw how steady Harry’s gaze was, he knew not to inquire further. If Arthur bought it, Merlin was in no position to be placing anyone under the bus.

“Very well. Galahad, Merlin, you’re both dismissed.”

They both nodded and excused themselves, thankful to be leaving the meeting without having been torn into by their boss. When they reached the safety of Merlin’s office, they could finally ask and say what they’d been wanting to. Or rather, _Merlin_ could ask and say what had been on his mind.

“You’re truly not worried about that kid?”

Harry shook his head, “Honestly? Not in the slightest.”

“You don’t think that he’s the tiniest bit of a security risk that could, oh, I don’t know, blow the cover of this entire organization?”

“What would he have to gain from that, Merlin? The boy just wants to go back and have a normal life, the least I could do is respect that and leave him to try and live it.”

“I take it you two aren’t back on speaking terms?”

“Oh, did you forget to listen in on that conversation last night?” there was more bite to Harry’s voice than he had intended.

Merlin tried not to let it bother him too much, “I’m sorry, Harry. I know you cared for him.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” he sighed, “What are the upcoming missions looking like?”

He knew that nothing good would come of Harry running himself into the ground by taking mission after mission. Merlin had seen the man do it before and it nearly killed him, and that was back when Harry was a bit younger. He didn’t want to know what kind of toll it would take now. Despite that, Merlin began to scratch the surface on what was next for Kingsman.

“Do you think things will change?” Merlin finally asked.

Harry didn’t need to question what his friend was talking about. “I’m not sure. All I can hope for now is a chance to fix things. Maybe, by some miracle, he’ll stumble onto my front stoop again for some reason and give me the opportunity to do that."


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit long, and mostly revolves around Eggsy, but I hope you find that it's worth the read all the same. xox

Eggsy had fallen asleep on the couch downstairs while waiting for his roommates to get home. Being asleep for nearly fifty hours straight didn’t seem to make him any less exhausted. He took one of the pills that Roxy gave him and passed on out soon after. He only woke up when he heard Jack barking in the small hours of the morning, followed by Alex, who didn’t sound enthused at all about the newest member of the household.

“Where the _fuck_ did you come from?” he walked a wide circle around the dog, nervous about how the damn thing got in. He flicked on the lamp right by Eggsy’s head, making the boy groan. Alex jumped back at the noise, “Shit, mate.”

“Ay bruv,” Eggsy said drowsily as he slowly sat upright.

“Ay bruv?” Alex’s voice could’ve cut through steel with how sharp it was, “ _Ay bruv_? You drop off the map for _three fucking days_ and all I get is _ay bruv_?” he grabbed a pillow and smacked Eggsy a few times over, “You _wanker_! Where the fuck ‘ave you been? And when the fuck did you get a dog?”

“Ow, Christ, Alex, take it easy,” Eggsy got up as quickly as he could without hurting himself, which wasn’t very quickly at all, “That’s Jack. He’s trained ‘nd all.”

“I don’ give a fuck all about the dog, Eggsy!” he looked at the boy’s face, which was more banged up than he’d ever seen it before, “What the fuck happened to you?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, mate.”

Alex stood there, dumbfounded as he pulled at his own hair. He had a million questions but he was in no state to get the actual answers to them he’d been working since that morning straight through until closing and was so exhausted from everything else that had been going on that he could hardly tell his ass from a hole in the ground. He looked at Eggsy for a long time, “But you’re alright now, yea?”

Eggsy nodded, even though he wasn’t totally convinced of that himself, “Yea, I’m alright.”

Alex’s eyes welled up with tears as he pulled the boy into a tight hug, “Don’t you _ever_ fucking do that again, got it?”

For the first time in what felt like forever Eggsy finally felt safe again. His voice was soft, “Got it.”

Neither of them said anything as they stood there. Alex kept his eyes shut tight, glad that his nightmare was finally over. Eggsy was like his little brother, and the thought of having lost him was more than he could handle. He took a deep breath and finally let Eggsy go, feeling an odd sense of relief when he saw that they were both emotional over it all.

“You call Anna or the guys?” Alex asked as he took a deep breath to try and collect himself.

Eggsy shook his head, “I got home, had a smoke, took some meds, and then passed out for the rest of the day. You’re the first person I’ve talked to.”

“Touch base wiff Anna, bruv. She’s been over here goin’ mad. I offered to let her stay in your room till ya came back. Not that she took the offer but, you get my point.”

“I don’t think it’s really a good time to be callin’ her up.”

“Eggsy,” Alex waited for the boy to look at him, “Give her a fuckin’ call.” He had spent enough time with an emotionally distraught Anna to know that he couldn’t let Eggsy put off getting in touch with her for any longer. Anna wouldn’t care what time it was as long as she knew that Eggsy was alive and mostly okay.

Eggsy made his way back up the stairs, pulling his phone out and dialing Anna’s number as he did. Jack was still in the living room, sitting in front of Alex. He looked down at the dog and sighed; he knew there would be no talking Eggsy into getting rid of him, especially if he already named the damn thing. If he was being honest, Alex was surprised it took his roommate so long to bring home some strange animal. It could’ve been worse, he reasoned with himself, Eggsy could’ve brought home a cat.

“Jack,” Eggsy called once he realized the dog hadn’t followed, “Here boy.”

The pug scampered off and waddled as fast as he could up the stairs after Eggsy. The boy lifted him and set him on the bed as he waited for Anna to pick up her phone, or for her voicemail to sound. Although he didn’t exactly know what kind of a message he would leave if he had to. It wasn’t something really easy to explain.

“Hello?” it was hard to believe she was at all conscious with the way her voice sounded.

“Hey, Doll,” Eggsy kept his voice as soft as he could, hopefully to make it seem like everything was better than it was.

“Eggsy?” she sounded more alert, “Eggsy is that you?”

“Yea, I’m…I’m back home.”

“Where’ve you _been_? Why haven’t you been answering your damn phone?”

“I’m sorry, Anna. Things just got really bad for a bit. I dunno what to tell you.”

“I was worried sick about you!”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry.”

“You’re home right now?”

“Yea.”

“I’m coming over.”

“Anna, I’m alright, you don’t have to-” there was a click and Eggsy shook his head as he tossed his phone onto his nightstand. He should’ve known better than to try and argue with her.

Less than five minutes later, Anna came bursting through his bedroom door, still in her pajamas. Eggsy jumped and nearly fell off his bed. “Fuck, Anna. I know Alex said you don’t havta knock anymore but give me a bit of a warning next time, yea?”

She looked at the state he was in for a few moments and mumbled something about her phone call being his warning before running and jumping onto his bed, wrapping him in a huge hug that all but flattened him into the mattress. It hurt but Eggsy wasn’t about to say that. The pain was worth being home again. Anna’s hair was frizzy from her tossing and turning in her sleep, and it covered his face as they laid there, but he couldn’t keep himself from smiling.

She finally let him go, finding a spot next to him on the bed, “Where’ve you been? I was waiting for you on Friday and you didn’t show for the exam, and then, well, you just never turned up here either…”

“If I tried to explain it, it still wouldn’t make sense.”

She couldn’t take her eyes off the bruises. Normally she was good about pretending they weren’t there, but everything was just a bit too much at that moment. “Humor me and try?”

He slowly shook his head, “I really just, I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

She saw his hands start to shake and knew it’d be best to let the topic drop for the time being. What she couldn’t ignore though, was the dog sniffing her legs. She held her hand out for a moment before reaching and patting the dog’s head, “Who’s the newest addition?”

Eggsy smirked, “That’s Jack.”

“How’d Alex take it?”

“Too preoccupied to argue.”

She laughed, “Nice.”

He chuckled as he pressed his hand to the bandage over his neck, “Yea, we’ll see how long it lasts.”

He couldn’t remember what the two of them had talked about after that, but soon enough the both of them were fast asleep again, with Jack nestled between them. Anna’s arm dangled off her side of the bed while Eggsy twitched and fidgeted on his. She slept as though a bomb could go off and it wouldn’t wake her. It was the first real sleep she’d gotten since Eggsy went MIA. Since then it’d just been intermittent naps and a lot of caffeine keeping her going. It was like hearing Eggsy’s voice again finally let her rest.

Eggsy’s dreams weren’t anything clear, just a blur of loud noises and super-saturated colors. He woke up a few times, pressing his palm to the side of his head. He wrote it off as the medication messing with his brain, praying that if he stopped taking the pills his mind would go back to normal and just let him sleep. He glanced over at Anna for a moment, who looked like the definition of peaceful, and forced himself to lay back down and try to catch some decent sleep.

He woke up late in the morning to the sound of someone knocking on his door. He slowly pushed himself upright, wiping the sleep out of his eyes and getting out of bed as carefully as possible so he didn’t wake Anna up. He fumbled with the doorknob for a moment before finally getting it open. Jamal was standing on the other side, and the relief on his face when he saw that Eggsy was more or less still in one piece was the best way to wake up that Eggsy could think of.

Jamal wrapped him in a hug, “Ry and I just got in,” he said quietly, “Alex told us you were back. We were all freaked, bruv. I’m so glad you’re alright.”

“Me too.”

“Ryan’s in a bit of a state,” he chuckled, “When he comes ‘round I’m sure he’ll be just as excited.”

“He alright?”

“Maria…”

“That’s _still_ goin’ on? I just stopped askin' since I figured it was long done wiff.”

“Well, it is now.”

“Shit, mate, I lost that bet. That lasted way longer than I thought.”

“Lasted longer than all of us thought it would. Just, not long enough for him.”

“He’ll come back around.”

“Of course,” he paused, “Alex said you didn’t say much about whatever happened…”

Eggsy silently thanked Alex for telling his roommates not to freak out or be up his ass about it. He just wasn’t ready to try and come up with a decent excuse to explain it all away. He shook his head, “I’m not right about it yet.”

He nodded understandingly, “’S alright. I’m just glad you’re okay,” he tilted his head and looked into Eggsy’s room, “Well, _welcome home_ , bruv.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes, “Not what it looks like.”

“Never is,” he winked before turning and walking away, “Glad ta have ya back, Eggsy.”

“Good to be back,” he mumbled with a drowsy smile before shutting the door and going back to his bed.

 

“Budapest?” Roxy looked at Harry in disbelief, “For a _month_?”

“Merlin said a month at _most_.”

“You’re still not recovered from everything you just went through with Goodwell, never mind whatever happened with you and your neighbor that got you so bent out of shape. It’s been hardly a week, Harry. I really don’t think you should be going off on something so intensive so soon.”

“You’re not my mother, so I’d appreciate if you’d drop the tone.”

“No, you’re right, I’m not your mother. I’m worse, because your _mother_ wouldn’t kick your ass in!” she never got fresh with Harry but he wasn’t leaving her much of a choice.

“What do you think is going to happen to me?”

She had the utmost respect for Harry, and looked up to him more than she could ever describe, and it was for that reason that she couldn’t lie to him, “I think you’re going to run yourself ragged so you don’t need to be home. With Goodwell being dead and Eggsy gone, you don’t want to be around here. But this isn’t okay, Harry. You need some recovery time. It’s not like this was just another run of the mill mission.”

Harry sighed but didn’t look Roxy in the eyes. He knew that she was right, but he’d never admit it to her. There were a lot of points that the girl had raised during her time with Kingsman, and he commended her on all of them, but this wouldn’t be one of those. This was something he had to stand his ground on and deal with himself. He’d already gotten the same lecture from Merlin, only it was worse since the man knew better than anyone how Harry handled his emotional downfalls. But he’d already signed on to the mission, so regardless there wasn’t any undoing it now.

“I need to go home and pack. My plane leaves first thing tomorrow. So, if you’re done chastising me I’ll be going now.”

She huffed and shook her head as he walked out of the conference room. She waited a few moments, thinking over everything he’d just told her. She swiped the folders off the table and quickly made her way to Merlin’s office. She knocked on the door and waited to hear his cue to enter.

She sat down in one of the free chairs behind his, ignoring the questioning looks from the other techs that were scurrying about. It was one of the only times that she hated how Merlin’s office was adjacent to the room where the rest of the techs worked. One doorway didn’t provide enough privacy at a moment like that. She tossed the files onto his desk from her chair, slightly impressed when they landed and didn’t manage to slide into anything even when she was throwing them one-handed.

“Everything alright, Lancelot?”

“Did you tell Harry about the Budapest mission?”

Merlin pursed his lips together, knowing that he was about to get an earful. “Yes, I told him about that a few days ago.”

“Why on Earth did you assign him to it?”

“Well he wasn’t my first choice. Originally I had Percival going off on it.”

“But…?”

“But Harry seemed adamant on going, and lord knows no one wants to argue with Harry once he has his mind set on something.”

“Yes, because _that’s_ a healthy sign.”

“Do you think that I’m not worried about him? Is that what this is about?”

“I don’t know what I think. I just know that he’s going to go mad if he doesn’t give himself some time for a little R and R. This wasn’t just a mission, Merlin. He was actually emotionally invested in every part of this.”

“I’m well aware of that.”

“And you’re still going to let him go on off like this? Who knows how long he’ll keep this up if you let him.”

“What do you suppose I do then?”

“How about tell the man _no_ every once in a while?”

“It’s not that simple. You know that, you’ve dealt with him before.”

“Yea, and nine times out of ten I can get him to listen to me. But I need a little backing on this, Merlin. I can’t do everything on my own.”

He sighed, having been in her place more times than he’d ever let on. The reality of it was, he knew what could very well happen if Harry kept going on mission after mission, but he had absolutely no idea what would happen if he was forced to stay home. The unknown was a much more frightening prospect.

“Well we can’t really change anything now, he’s all set to fly out and settle in.”

“If he makes it through this without cracking, promise me you’ll pitch in on getting him to pull his head out of his ass?”

Merlin chuckled, “It’s hard to say no when you put it like that,” he paused as she got up to leave. When she reached the door, he spoke up again, this time his voice taking on a serious tone, “You’re far from being the only one who worries, Lancelot. I encourage you to remember that.” He waited for a response that never came as the door clicked shut behind her.

She leaned against the door and took a deep breath. She knew that he was right, that neither of them could really control Harry when it came right down to it. And she tried her hardest to remember that Merlin had years of experience on her when it came to dealing with the stubbornness that was Harry Hart. Even with all that considered though, it didn’t make the situation any easier for her. She worried, too much for her own good, but it always came from the right place.

 

A few weeks had gone by, but Eggsy felt like he was stuck in some sort of time loop. The days more or less felt the same. He’d promised his mom that he’d be over as soon as the semester ended, but he couldn’t risk running into Dean, not with the way his body still was. What he hated most about it was that he had to miss out on the holidays with his own mother and sister, but it was just the bitter reality of it all. They were understanding of course, and Eggsy promised that he’d make it up to them as soon as he possibly could.

It wasn’t a total flop, though. The holidays never were. Christmas Eve was spent with his three roommates, and it was nothing short of a good time. They stayed up late drinking, trading gifts, and eating more holiday candy than what was really healthy or necessary. Anna had invited him over for breakfast in the morning once she realized he wouldn’t be going to his mother’s, and there was no way that he could turn down the pleading look in her eyes. So he got to meet her entire family, which he wasn’t exactly prepared for but he fared well considering. Christmas dinner was with Alex’s family, who were all too happy to pull another chair up to the table. They didn’t get to see Eggsy very often which they felt was a shame given how close he and Alex were. It wasn’t a conventional sort of holiday that year, but by the end of it all he had to admit that it’d turned out far better than he’d expected. And of course there was New Years, but no one in their group of friends remembered what happened that night, and they figured it was better that way. For those few days he was able to remove himself from his head and live in the present rather than the past, which did worlds of good for the short span of time he was able.

Once the holiday buzz started to die down, he slowly began weaning himself off the pain medication. He was still in pain, and his neck still felt like it was ripping open almost every time he turned, but he felt like his brain was turning to sludge and he absolutely hated it. He couldn’t tell what was dream and what was reality half of the time. At first he blamed it on the meds, and then on the exhaustion, but as the days wore on he couldn’t push the idea away that maybe it was just him. Maybe he got a little more fucked up than he could really handle, and he had no doubt it was slowing the healing process of his wounds (something he and Anna had learned about in psychology). He’d woken up in more than a few cold sweats, but he couldn’t ever remember what the dreams were that caused them. He knew they were about Goodwell and Harry, but it didn’t take a genius to figure that out. One night Alex came rushing in because he’d heard Eggsy screaming.

“Everything alright?”

Eggsy slowly nodded, letting Jack resituate himself, “Yea, sorry bruv. Just had a bad dream is all.”

Alex wanted to let it drop, because he knew that Eggsy didn’t want to talk about whatever it was that had gone on, but as he stood in the doorway and watched his roommate’s entire body tremble from some unknown terror in his mind, he couldn’t bring himself to just walk away. “I know you ‘aven’t been sayin’ nothing about what happened. ‘Nd that’s fine if that’s what you want. But just, I’m only ever one doorway away, aight? I don’t care what’s going on, if you need me I’m there, yea?”

Eggsy swallowed hard, feeling like the back of his throat was sandpaper all of a sudden, and nodded, “Got it.”

“G’night, mate,” Alex flicked the light off and shut the door behind him.

Eggsy laid in bed and stared up at the ceiling, eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness in his room. He took a deep breath and ran his hands over his face. He massaged his temples with his fingertips, trying to rid himself of the feeling of guns pressed to his head and knives to his throat, “Get _out_ of there,” he whispered to himself as he shut his eyes tight for a few moments.

He could still feel the cold steel on his skin sometimes, and his whole body would lock up as if his body still depended on him remaining perfectly still. Some nights his blankets felt like they were keeping his arms pinned to his sides, and if he turned wrong in his sleep the pain shooting through his neck made him snap awake, thinking that his throat was getting torn at all over again. He placed his hand over the fresh bandage Alex had helped him put on, assuring himself that nothing was about to happen to him. He wiped the tears off his face before taking a steadying breath and trying to find his way back to the state between consciousness and sleep.

He managed his way downstairs that morning when he woke up, going straight to the kitchen to make himself the strongest cup of coffee in the history of mankind. He ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh.

Jamal came bounding into the kitchen layered up in sweats and workout clothes, “Ay bruv, wanna go for a run? They opened the indoor track at your school to everyone now. No more runnin’ in the cold!”

Eggsy shook his head, not looking at his roommate, “Not taday.”

“Damn, Sunny-Side-Up Unwin turning down a morning run? Never thought I’d see the day.” When Eggsy turned around, Jamal immediately wished that he could retract his previous statement. Eggsy looked like he’d been dragged through Hell and back the night before. His eyes were bloodshot and his face drained of all color, which was saying something since he was pretty pale to begin with. “Shit, mate, you alright?”

Eggsy shook his head, “I feel like death.”

“You look like it too. Go back to sleep, bruv.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not? You gotta run an’ save the world today or somefin’?”

“No, I mean, I lit’rally _can’t_.”

Jamal’s face softened, “When’s the last time you got a good night’s rest?”

Eggsy shrugged, “Been a few weeks.”

“Since you got back?” he felt sympathy rip through him as Eggsy nodded but didn’t say anything. He sighed, “You gotta talk to someone about this, Eggsy. It don’t have to be one of us or anythin’, but _someone_. It’s tearing you up. I respect yer privacy ‘nd all, but I can’t keep pretending I don’t notice that you’re different now. I’m not the only one, neither, Ry and Alex are worried too.”

“Sorry this has all been so stressful for you,” he snapped.

“Ay,” Jamal’s voice hardened quick, “Don’ give me that. You know that’s not what I meant. We’re just, we’re fuckin’ worried for you, mate.”

“I know,” tears began to fill his eyes, “I am too.”

His heart shattered at seeing Eggsy like that. Out of everyone in the house, Eggsy had always been the most positive about everything, and to see him so defeated was too much. Throughout everything the kid had ever been through he was able to keep his chin up, and now that was just gone. Jamal searched through the drawers in their kitchen until he found a notepad and pen. He scribbled down a name and number on it before tearing out the page and handing it to Eggsy, “Here. This is the doctor I saw a while back. Things got rocky when my parents split and ‘e helped a lot. It might not be fer you but it’s worth a shot, yea?”

Eggsy took the paper and stared at it for a few moments before folding it and tucking it into his pocket with a nod, “Thanks bruv, I appreciate it.”

“’Nd obviously, if you ever wanna talk to me, you know where I live.”

It got Eggsy to crack a smile, “Thank you.”

“’Course,” he gave Eggsy a quick hug and headed out to go for his run.

That night, Anna’s voice chimed through the house as she wandered her way back to the kitchen. Eggsy waved and gave a tired, half-hearted smile when she walked over to him. She’d been popping in nearly every day when she didn’t have work. She didn’t usually stay for long, as it was mostly to check in on Eggsy to make sure he was still around and in one piece but she couldn’t deny that she’d grown to like spending time with his roommates as well, despite the constant jokes they made regarding her and Eggsy. She put her hands on the boy’s shoulders and rested her chin on top of his head, and he shut his eyes for a moment, reveling in the comfort of the small gestures like that.

“Ah, Little Miss Sunshine on a Cloudy Day,” Alex said with a smile as he walked in, grocery bags in his hands, “glad to see you could make it for dinner.”

“It’s not often I get official invites,” she laughed, “So I figured I’d best clear my schedule and come on over,” she paused, “More bags in the car?”

He nodded, “Yea, but I got ‘em.”

“Nonsense,” she gave him a dismissive wave as she strolled out to his car to get the last of whatever Alex had picked up at the market.

Eggsy gave Alex a knowing smirk, “You invite her over for dinner?”

He shrugged, “She’s always over here anyway, figured it’d only be right.”

“Mhmm.”

Alex rolled his eyes, “Oh calm down. I’m not after your girl.”

“Hey, it’s fine, really. She’s not _my_ girl, you don’t gotta lie ta me bruv.”

He cocked an eyebrow, “You really think that she’s my type, Eggsy?”

“I don’ even know what your type _is_ , mate. I don’t think you’ve ever brought a girl around, or a guy for that matter. Do you _have_ a type?”

Alex laughed, “Yes, I have a type.”

“A type like Anna, or,” he pretended to pop his collar, “a type like me?”

He shook his head, not able to talk for a few moments due to how hard he was laughing, “More Anna than you, hate to say. Not ta say you aren’t beautiful, Eggsy.”

“Oh you don’t gotta tell me twice bruv,” he winked.

Anna walked back in and set the blast few bags on the counter, “What’re you two boys bangin’ on about in here?”

“Nothing,” they replied with a laugh.

Dinner with everyone there, as always, was perfectly entertaining. It took twice as long because they talked just as much as they ate, but with everyone’s work schedules and other obligations, it wasn’t very often that the four of them were able to sit together, and Anna being there as well made it all the more fun. Sometimes the guys forgot that she didn’t really live there. 

She couldn’t help but to notice that for once Eggsy seemed at ease. He was always so tense whenever she saw him. She wanted to ask but there never seemed to be a good time or a good way to phrase the question. He was smiling and laughing as he listened to the banter going on, but she couldn’t turn a blind eye to the fact that he looked like death warmed over.

The two of them were putting all the dishes away, and she finally tossed the question out there, “You’re looking a little worn tonight, Eggsy. You feeling alright?”

He nodded, “Yea, I’m fine. Just didn’t get much sleep last night is all.”

She pressed her lips together, fighting the urge to ask more about it. Undoubtedly he’d already gone through the wringer with his roommates about it, and she didn’t want to pour gasoline on the fire. Still, she wanted him to know that if he needed her all he had to do was say so. Her door was open to him the same his was to her. She wrapped him in a hug and rested her head on his chest, “You’re gonna be alright, you know that, yea?”

He took a deep breath and ran his hand up and down her back, “I hope so.”

She took a step back, offering up a gentle smile, “I’ll make sure of it.”

He chuckled, “Then I’ve definitely got nothing to worry about.”

“Damn right.”

She went and said goodbye and thank you to the rest of the boys before Eggsy walked her out to her car, pretending not to feel the cold as he gave her a hug goodbye and made sure she got situated in the driver’s seat okay. She smiled and waved, “See ya, Eggsy! Thanks for dinner.”

“G’night, Doll. Thanks fer comin’ over,” he waved, waiting outside for a few moments after she left as he looked at the dark house across the street.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *groans because this chapter was emotionally taxing to write*
> 
> Haha but honestly, hope you enjoy it. xox

He’d been completely off the pain medication for a week. The injuries didn’t start to bother him more, thankfully they were still slowly but surely healing on up. But it didn’t help his nightmare situation either. He was still being torn from his sleep by blurry memories mixed with whatever horrid things his mind could conjure up. It wasn’t every night like it had been when he first got home, but it was still happening more often than not, and it was always worse when he drank. He’d tried everything within reason to keep himself asleep but nothing seemed to be driving out everything awful that was going on in his head, and he hated that he had no control over it.

He bolted upright, gasping for air as he kicked absently at his covers. Jack whimpered and hopped down off the bed, not sure what was going on. Eggsy reached and turned on his bedside lamp, running his hands over his face and immediately looking down at them, assuring himself that his nightmare hadn’t broken into his reality. He remembered it, for once. He had a clear vision of what happened. He could _feel_ it happening all over again.

He felt Goodwell’s blood, warm and sticky, splattering all over his face again. He felt the man’s body weight double on his wrist and arm as he went completely deadweight. He felt the trickle of blood from the bullet wound run down from the man’s head onto his hand and arm. All over again he felt the strength drain from his body, from the legs all the way up. He felt himself crumbling to the ground all over again.

He could hardly breathe. It felt like there was a hand around his own throat as he was tormented by what had happened. Tears ran down his cheeks as he pulled his legs up, wrapping his arms around them and resting his forehead against his knees. Jack whined for a moment before managing to jump back up onto the bed, nuzzling against the boy’s legs and sitting down next to him, watching on protectively. Eggsy fought to gain control over his breathing, which was ragged as ever.

He fumbled with his phone for a moment as he tried to dial Anna’s number. It was difficult when he couldn’t steady his hands. It rang and rang, and he was worried that she wasn’t going to answer. It was three in the morning and it wouldn’t surprise him if she didn’t, but he couldn’t deal with this on his own anymore. He bit down on his bottom lip, nearly drawing blood by the time Anna’s voice came on.

“What’s wrong?” she knew that he wouldn’t be calling unless things had caved in.

“Can I,” he tried to take a breath, “can I come over?”

“You’re not walking, it’s freezing out. I’ll come get you.”

“Can you just…stay on with me?”

“Of course.”

They didn’t say anything else. Eggsy tried to steady his shaking hands as he held the phone to his ear, listening to the sound of Anna zipping her coat, shutting the house door, starting her car. He pulled on an extra hoodie and a pair of sneakers as he walked outside, quietly shutting the door behind him. He slid into the passenger seat without a word. Anna hung up the phone once he buckled in, and reached over, gently clasping her hand over his as they went back to her house.

She turned on the light in her room and sat down on the bed, back resting against the wall, letting Eggsy come over and sit down next to her when he was ready to. She looked at him as he looked down at his hands, picking at the frayed strings on his pajama pants.

“You wanna talk about it?”

“I,” he felt himself choking, “I don’t know. I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s okay,” she rested her hand on his arm, tracing her thumb in small circles, “take your time. I’ve got nowhere to be.”

The two of them sat in silence. Eggsy’s body trembled as he put his head on Anna’s shoulder. She wrapped her arm around him, gently resting her head against his. She felt his body relax a bit, and the trembling lessened ever so slightly. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, wishing that she could wave a magic wand and make him feel good as new.

“How do you forget things?” he finally asked.

“You mean, forget them forever?”

He could feel his heartbeat speeding up, “Yea.”

“I, I don’t think you do. You learn to live with whatever it is that you want to forget. You don’t learn to love it, or even like it. But you learn how to, coexist with it,” she paused, 

“What do you wanna forget, Eggsy?”

“Everything,” his voice shook and his tears fell onto Anna’s shirt, “Just, everything.”

“C’mere,” her voice had never been as soft as it was right then as she wrapped her arms around him. She let his head rest against her chest as he fought to stop crying. She closed her eyes, trying to keep back her own tears. She ran her fingers through his hair, not wanting to breathe another word until he did.

She thought that he’d fallen asleep since he’d been silent for so long, and his breathing had evened a bit, but then he spoke up, his voice was hoarse as he tried to explain himself as best he could, “It’s like this nightmare,” he paused, “only it’s worse, ‘cos it’s not all bad. Right when I think I’m waking up, it turns again.”

“It’s not gonna be a nightmare forever though, Eggsy,” she spoke hardly above a whisper, “One morning you’re gonna wake up, and you realize that this time, you really _woke up_. Things won’t be as scary anymore.”

His voice was barely audible, “When?”

She bit her lip for a moment; she’d never felt more helpless, “I wish I could give you an answer, Eggsy. I wish I could tell you.”

When they woke up the next morning, it was to the sound of the alarm on Anna's phone. She groaned as she reached over and switched it off. For a few moments she completely forgot about what had happened the night before. It was only when Eggsy sat up and began to wipe the sleep from his eyes that it all came rushing back. Her shock and exhaustion was replaced by concern.

"How're you feeling?"

One side of his mouth kicked up into a tired smirk of sorts, "I'm alright."

"You sure? I can call in if you need me to stay."

He shook his head, "Don' be ridiculous, Anna. I appreciate it, but it's fine. _I'm_ fine."

She didn't believe him, but she knew that there wasn't going to be winning an argument with him about it either. She could tell by the look on his face that his walls were back up for the time being. It was the same look that he'd get on his face when they'd meet up after he had a run-in with Dean or anyone who worked with him. It was the look that was open enough to let her know something was off, but closed enough so that she knew there wouldn't be any talking about it for a while.

"Right, well, if anything happens just call me, yea?"

"Yea, alright," he shrugged and smiled.

 

Roxy was playing backseat driver as Merlin guided Harry through part of the mission. She pointed at the screen and mumbled something that he didn’t quite hear, but he caught what she was pointing to. “Third door, Galahad. Not the second. Second door will trip the alarm.” He shut the mic off and turned to Roxy, “Thank you, Lancelot.”

She nodded, twirling slightly in her seat. She’d taken to sitting in as often as she could on Harry’s mission, (which had gone over a month as she suspected it would). It helped ease her mind a little bit. Merlin had agreed to let her sit in as long as she refrained from making any snide comments to Harry about everything that was going on. She begrudgingly accepted the terms, but afterwards she’d always tell Merlin that they couldn’t ignore it forever. It was already starting to take a toll.

She rested the newest mission file on her legs and began to flip through it, “I’m surprised we haven’t heard from Eggsy.”

“Surprised?”

“Merlin, the boy was taken hostage. That can mess with you a bit if you’re not in our line of work, yes? When’s the last time you ran a check on him?”

He looked perplexed, “I don’t suppose I ever did.”

“ _What_?”

“Sorry, it’s just, usually our missions never have loose ends. Therefore, no checkups. He’s kept his mouth shut so I haven’t paid him too much mind.”

She sighed, “He’s not a loose end, Merlin. He’s a boy my age who unwillingly got pulled into something way over his head,” she took a deep breath, mumbling a few curses before looking back at him, “Alright, well, you’ve got his file, correct? What’s his current address?”

“Still directly across from Harry.”

She got up out of her chair, tightening her grip on the folder and bringing it back as if she were going to strike him with it. Merlin flinched back; he wasn’t frightened by much but he wasn’t an idiot. He wasn’t going to push it when Roxy was already frustrated, even if she was still in physical therapy because of her shoulder.

“I can’t believe you!” if she was a cartoon character there would’ve been smoke coming out of her ears.

“You’re blaming _me_ for this?”

“Yes! You let Harry fuck on off to Budapest and didn’t bother to think that just _maybe_ you should keep someone else close by to make sure Eggsy wasn’t on the brink of killing himself or someone else?” she looked at him curiously, “Doesn’t Kingsman do psych evals all the time to make sure everyone who works here is alright?”

He couldn’t pretend that the outburst hadn’t shocked him a bit. She never got vulgar with him. Around him, sure, but it was never directed _at_ him. He finally answered her question, “Once a year unless an agent dies.”

She shook her head, “Make as many comments as you want about me playing Mother Hen, but if there were more people like me in Kingsman I wouldn’t have to be making housecalls!” she stormed out, murmuring a few choice words about Harry and Merlin both. She made a mental note to speak to Arthur at a later date about being a bit more on top  
of things when it came to the agents’ mental state as much as their physical.

Suddenly Harry’s voice came in on the stream, “What’s going on with Eggsy?”

Merlin sighed, realizing that in the process of trying to dodge potential hits from Roxy he turned the mic back on, “Nothing, Galahad. Don’t worry about it.”

“Will you tell me what Lancelot finds out?”

“No, I won’t. When you come back you can walk across the street and ask the boy yourself.”

“ _Merlin_ for the love of God I swear I-”

Harry didn’t get the chance to finish, his friend cutting him short with a quick, “Merlin, signing off."

 

She knocked on the door, offering a nervous smile when Alex opened it. “Um, hi. I’m just, is Eggsy home?”

He looked confused but nodded nonetheless, “Yea, he just got in a minute ago. Come in, I’ll grab him,” he shut the door behind her and went upstairs, “Yo, Unwin!”

He opened the door, “Yea bruv?”

“You got a magnet that just pulls pretty blondes to ya?”

He chuckled, clearly perplexed, “What?”

“Some girl’s here for you.”

Eggsy made his way downstairs, not able to hide his surprise when he saw Roxy standing there. He wasn’t sure what shocked him more, seeing her in his living room, or seeing her in a pair of jeans and a hoodie, “Oh, hey Rox.”

“Hey, you have a minute to talk?”

He nodded, anxiety taking over, “Um, yea. Yea ‘course I do. C’mon,” he motioned for her to follow him upstairs. He shut the door behind him and immediately began to sputter on about how he’d been keeping his mouth shut, that he hadn’t told anyone a goddamn thing, not a single soul. His hands trembled as he tucked them into the pockets of his jeans.

Roxy rested a reassuring hand on his arm, “Eggsy, Eggsy I know you didn’t say anything. That’s not why I’m here. You’re not in trouble.”

His muscles noticeably relaxed, “Oh, good.”

“Have you heard from anyone besides me?” she asked, despite knowing the answer.

He shook his head, “No, but I mean, you guys ‘ave other things higher up on your priority list, yea? An’ I don’ even think Harry’s been home since we got back,” he left out the part where there had been a few occasions when he almost called the man, just because he needed _someone_ , and who else would know better what he went through than Harry? But he always stopped himself, constantly reminded that he didn’t just close that door, he slammed the fucking thing shut.

Roxy bit her tongue, knowing this wasn’t the time or place to make a sarcastic remark about Harry’s conveniently-timed trip. She took a deep breath, “Regardless, I thought he or Merlin had been checking in on you.”

“Not that I know of. But I mean, you all do things yer own way so who knows.”

She smiled, admiring of how he was more or less accepting of everything, regardless of how confused he was by all of it. She couldn’t turn a blind eye to how much it was all affecting him though, and as she looked at him she desperately wished that she’d stopped in sooner. “How’ve you been holding up?” the answer seemed obvious but she still had to ask.

He laughed and shook his head, “I’m still on two feet, yea?”

“If that was enough to assure you’re alright, I wouldn’t be here right now,” she paused, “What’s been going on?”

He shrugged, not wanting to have this discussion. For as much as he wanted to talk to someone about it, he wasn’t sure that he wanted to talk to Roxy. She was his age, and yet she was going through all the same things he went through and she seemed to be handling them just fine. Standing there in front of her, haggard and disheveled, he felt so inadequate. “Nothin’, really. Been pretty quiet I guess. But anythin’s quiet after being kidnapped.”

She saw the apprehension on his face, “You can be honest with me, Eggsy, it’s alright.”

He shook his head, not even sure where to begin. He ran his fingers through his hair, “I’ve just been havin’ nightmares, is all. Bad ones, ‘bout what happened. It’s like, they’re kinda what happened and kinda just whatever my brain decides will fuck me up the most, yea?”

“This has been going on-”

“Since I got back.”

She pressed her lips together for a moment, “How often?”

“Used ta be every night. Now it’s just, well, _almost_ every night,” he couldn’t force himself to look at her.

“You want to talk about it?”

“I don’t even know what to say, y’know? Like, it is what it is. Some nights I wake up still thinking that I’m stuck back there. It’s been getting’ worse, Roxy. Like, I don’t have them every night but when I do it’s so fuckin’ clear I swear I’m right back where I was. I just don’t want to wake up feelin’ like I’m hostage in my own fuckin’ skin anymore,” he collapsed onto his bed, “Sometimes I really wish I let Merlin do a clean sweep right across my brain.”

“You really mean that?”

He sighed, slowly shaking his head, “No. But I don’t wanna have to choose between never knowing what happened and _constantly reliving_ what happened, ya get me?”

“I know, Eggsy.”

“How do you deal with it? Like, this kinda shit is what you _do_. It’s yer _job_. Ow’ve none of you guys ended up in an asylum?”

“We live in one,” she cracked a smile, “only we call it Headquarters,” her face sobered up a bit, “But honestly, Eggsy, you can’t compare the two. I _literally_ signed on to go through all of this. You were just, wrong place, wrong time, wrong neighbor. It wasn’t fair.”

“Well that don’t do me much good now, does it?”

“I know it doesn’t. But Eggsy, you can’t let it eat at you like this. You look like you’ve been dragged through Hell and back. Granted, you more or less were, but honestly this isn’t good for you.”

“What d’you suppose I do then, huh? ‘Cos I don’t ‘ave a fuckin’ clue.”

“Talk to someone who knows, Eggsy. I know Merlin made it clear that your friends can’t know and I apologize that it has to be that way, because I see how close you all are. But just, talk to me, or I don’t know what kind of terms you and Harry are on right now but-”

“We’re not,” his voice was cold.

Roxy tensed up, not expecting such an immediate and frigid response, “Right, well, you can always talk to me. I’d say Merlin as well but emotions aren’t exactly his strongest suit,” she took a deep breath, “But you can’t keep going through this alone, it’ll eat you alive.”

“You gonna be my in-house therapist, then?”

She shook her head, “Not really. But I’m someone who knows what you went through, Eggsy. I’m someone to talk to.”

“What do you want me to say? I’m not gonna sit here and start fuckin’ on about my feelings and how fucked the whole thing was,” he realized he was probably sounding like a total dickhead, like some guy just trying to seem macho and tough. He sighed, “I ain't tryna be difficult, I swear. It’s just, you _know_ all that stuff already. Why beat a dead horse?”

“Well keeping quiet about it certainly doesn’t seem to be doing the trick,” she sat down on the edge of the bed next to him, “I’m not saying you have to sit here and tell me your deepest, darkest secrets. I wouldn’t expect that of you. But I’m just saying that when it starts to feel overwhelming just call or text or _something_. It’s awful being stuck inside your own head, trust me, I’ve been there.”

Eggsy looked over at her, not really sure what he was supposed to do at that point. He was in no condition to start telling her about everything that had been going on inside his head, at that point it was all so mixed together he didn’t think he could even if he tried. He just needed to be able to _sleep_ , and then maybe he’d be able to work the rest out himself.

“I won’t bullshit you, aight?” he finally said, “I really just wanna be able to sleep again. I don’t need some mental care that will fix all the trauma or whatever. I just want to be able to lay down at night, and not wake up a couple hours later suffocating myself with my own screams.”

“I’m pretty sure those two things go hand-in-hand by now.”

He sighed, running his hands over his face, “Fuck.”

“Do you wanna talk right now, Eggsy?”

“No offense, Rox, but no.”

She smiled, “I won’t take it personally,” she took his phone off the nightstand and put her number in, and Eggsy silently wondered if everyone in the Kingsman agency was so comfortable with that sort of thing, “When you change your mind, you can always get me at that number, alright?”

He nodded, giving a tired but sincere smile. She didn’t have to go out of her way to stop in and check up on him, but she did anyway. That kindness didn’t escape him, even though he wasn't quite sure how to handle or react to it. He walked back downstairs with her and walked her to her car. He smiled as she hopped into the driver’s seat, “Thanks for this though. It means a lot.”

“Of course. Honestly, Eggsy, I just feel bad that I didn’t do it before. I thought that they would’ve had brains enough to check in themselves.”

“Wan’ somethin’ done right you gotta do it yourself, yea?”

She laughed, “Appears that way. Take care, Eggsy.”

“I’ll try. I’ll talk to you later,” he waved goodbye before slipping back into the house out of the cold.

He walked into the kitchen and sat down at the counter, running his fingers through his hair. Alex strolled in, “So, who was she?” there was a smirk playing at his lips.

Eggsy laughed and shook his head, “Just a friend of a friend.”

“Oh, is that all?”

He rolled his eyes, “I hardly know the girl, Alex. Calm yourself down.”

“Alright,” he laughed, “Whatever you say,” he paused, “The guys wanna go out tonight, you in?”

He thought about it for a minute, trying to weigh the benefits of being out with the backlash he’d get inside his head from drinking. He shrugged, “Sure, yea, I’m game. I’ll drive if ya want.”

“You sure?”

He nodded, “’Course. Not feelin’ up ta getting’ smashed tonight anyway.”

Alex chuckled, “Aight, suit yourself. Invite yer friend if you want. The more the merrier.”

Eggsy laughed, “Yea, I don’t think so, bruv. Something tells me she ain’t really the partying type.”

He pulled out his phone and scrolled down to Roxy’s name in his contacts. He took a deep breath, trying to figure out what his next step was even supposed to be at that point. He had someone that he could actually phone up and just unload on about everything, and they’d actually _get it_. But something about it just sat off in his mind. He hoped that maybe it would just fade away, that when the time came he’d be able to get in touch with her without giving it a second thought. It was all down to him, though, and he couldn’t ignore that anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone on the last chapter was like, "Wow, Kingsman people are such _dicks_!" And you weren't wrong. And I so badly wanted to be like, "Guys, I know they're being shitty but I swear shit's about to happen and things are gonna start getting sorted just hang in there." But I didn't want to rob Roxy of a Mother Hen moment. (Mother Hen Roxy is one of my favorite things and I didn't even realize it until I started writing this story.)
> 
> But yea. I mean, I hate to say it but the story is starting to wind down and such. Still have enough for a few more chapters but...yea. *sad sigh*


	22. Chapter 22

It’d been months since the incident with Goodwell. The only thing that remained from the whole ordeal was the scar on the left side of Eggsy’s neck, and the dog that now followed him absolutely everywhere. It had been slow going, but the nightmares had begun to subside for the most part, and on the occasions that they did come back, he called Anna (who still stopped by every day, her stays growing slightly longer as time went on) or wandered down the hall to Alex’s room. He didn’t want to count his chickens before they hatched, so he never said that he was all better or completely recovered or anything of the sort. But he could take comfort in the fact that he had made it as far as he did. It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t a road that would end any time soon, but he knew he was at least able to survive everything that had happened up until that point.

True to his word, the boy hadn’t set foot on Harry’s property since the day he stormed out. He still noticed everything, though. He’d take note of the days that would turn to weeks when the lights in the house across the way never came on. It was quiet more often now, or maybe he just noticed it more. There were a scarce few evenings when Eggsy would be in his room, studying or doing homework, and he’d look out the window and see Harry going up the walkway, suit and all, sometimes toting a suitcase or two. Eggsy would spend a few moments wondering who Harry had saved and where he had gone off to. In that regard some things hadn’t changed even when it felt like everything else in the world was backwards.

It was moments like that when he missed having reasons to drop in. Ever since he got home, and he was sure it was partly, if not completely, Harry’s doing, things had been calm and trouble was practically nonexistent. (Harry _had_ taken care of things on one of his short stints at home, not that he would ever say that to Eggsy.) Dean still stood his ground on Eggsy not being able to move back in, but the man had certainly kept a lid on his anger, not laying a hand on Eggsy or his mother. With him and his lot called off, Eggsy’s life was as normal as it had been in a very long time. It was strange and Eggsy didn’t quite know what to do with himself. The simplicity that his life now had was almost enough to make him drop by Harry’s again.

He started out the door for a run, only to stop as soon as the door shut behind him because he could hear his dog whining. He sighed and shook his head, but smiled as he opened the door, grabbing a leash and his new companion. He had to run a little slower with the new sidekick but it was worth it.

He hooked the leash on the dog’s collar, one that Eggsy had finally gotten around to picking out himself. It had a small nametag stitched right onto the cloth. As time had gone on, Eggsy started calling him JB as well as Jack, and the dog grown to like all of Eggsy’s roommates. He was especially fond of Ryan, probably because he constantly slipped the pug scraps during dinner despite Eggsy telling him not to. Either way, he was spoiled rotten by everyone.

“C’mon, JB,” Eggsy coaxed with a smile, “Just to the park and back. Maybe we’ll run into that poodle you fancy so much.”

He stayed faithfully by the boy’s side all the way to the park. He was well-trained, not chasing after people or other animals while they went on their runs. But once they reached the park, JB started pulling on his leash, attempting to go in almost the complete opposite direction from where they were headed. Eggsy stopped and took his earphones out, trying to get a better idea of what had JB so interested.

Sure enough, farther down the path, the same poodle JB had seen twice a week for the past month or so was there. For the first time though, the dog was with its owner. Eggsy sighed and mumbled a few words of discomfort under his breath before walking over to the bench where Roxy was sitting, her dog patiently waiting for her to throw the ball again. He hadn’t spoken to her except for once after she dropped by his house that day. He couldn’t ever force himself to say anything to her, even when things had still been awful. It wasn’t that he didn’t like her, but it still threw him a bit that she was so grounded about everything while he had been strewn all over.

“Roxy?” he said with a small smile when he landed next to the bench.

“Eggsy,” she stood up and gave him a hug, “what brings you here?”

He gestured towards JB, who was now walking circles around Roxy’s poodle, “JB has had a thing for your dog for a while now. This is the first time we’ve seen ‘er with her owner, though.”

She smiled, “I usually let her run around on her own for a few minutes when we first get here. She always comes back when I finally call her.”

“How’ve you been? Looks like your shoulder is healed up now.”

She nodded, “Good as new.”

“Still savin’ the world, yea?”

She chuckled, “Yes, still saving the world. What about you though, you’ve been doing alright? I haven’t heard from you.”

He shrugged, feeling slightly embarrassed, “I know. But I’ve been aight. Good as ever, ta be honest.”

A smile spread across her face, actually believing that he was telling her the truth. He didn’t look as beat down, and she’d never been so relieved. “That’s good. You’re on break from school now?”

He nodded, “Yea, till the fall,” he paused, scuffing his shoe against the grass, “’Ow’s Harry?”

Roxy pressed her lips together before letting slip a slight smile, “He’s alright, he’s been keeping himself busy.”

“I c’n imagine it’s not very hard for him to do,” there was an awkward pause, “Alright, well, I’ve gotta keep goin’. It was good seein’ you, Rox.”

“It was good seeing you too, Eggsy,” she smiled, “Stay out of trouble.”

He laughed as he called JB back to his side, “I’ve been trying. I’ll see ya ‘round.”

It took a little work to pull JB completely away from Roxy’s dog, but once they were on their way down the path it was out of sight, out of mind. Eggsy wished it was the same for him. He put his headphones back in and took off down the path, back on course once more. He tried to focus on the music he was listening to, or the people he was running past, but he couldn’t keep his mind from wandering back to everything that had happened, and how he’d let it all end the way that it did. It was so abrupt, and he’d had bouts of regret about it, but this time he felt like it wasn’t just going to fade away unless he did something.

When he got back to the house, he let JB inside and changed before went back out to sit on the steps for a bit and try to mull over a few ways to try and remedy the silent mess he’d created. He instinctively reached into his pocket and pulled out his lighter, but before he did anything he heard Anna’s voice in the back of his mind, telling him that he knew better. He smiled and shook his head as he set the lighter on the step next to him.

He knew that when it came right down to it, it’d be easiest to walk across the street and just _talk_ to Harry, since he hadn’t done that either since the day he stormed out, but the thought of it was daunting. How was he even supposed to start that conversation? It wasn’t like he could just go over and pretend that nothing had happened, but he also didn’t want to have Harry open the door and just start in with, “ _And another thing_!” because that would undoubtedly be worse. He hated that he was back to not knowing how to talk to Harry, one of the few people he’d grown to feel at ease around.

Before he could get too lost in all the thoughts, the door opened behind him and Alex clapped him on the back, “Soup’s on, bruv.”

“Aight, I’ll be there in a sec,” he took a deep breath as he stood up and stretched. He looked at Harry’s house for a few moments before shaking his head and walking inside.

 

“You’re _grounding_ me?” Harry didn’t raise his voice, but he didn’t have to, his tone conveyed his point just fine.

“Essentially, yes. You haven’t been home for more than two weeks at a time since you shot Goodwell, Harry. That’s not even anywhere close to being healthy,” Merlin shook his head, “I spoke to Arthur and he agrees with me, you should just stay here for a bit and collect yourself. You never gave yourself time to do that.”

Harry hadn’t the slightest clue when he became the child of the agency, but he certainly didn’t care for it. He was a grown man, one of the most seasoned agents in the field, he didn’t need to be treated like a moody teenager, “I don’t need it.”

“Take it up with Arthur then.”

Harry sighed, knowing that while he could usually out-argue Merlin, there was no way he could convince their boss to change his mind once it was made. He didn’t realize how little he’d been home until Merlin said it, though. He tried his hardest to keep busy, hating being home and knowing that there wasn’t going to be a knock at the door anytime in the foreseeable future. The thoughts and regrets had been driving him mental, but he really had been pushing it more than he realized. It was no wonder Roxy had grown so short with him over the past few months.

Harry left Merlin’s office. When he stepped out into the hallway, he nearly walked right into Roxy, who was leaning against the wall opposite the doorway. There was a satisfied smile on her face and Harry shook his head, “This was your doing, wasn’t it?”

She shook her head, “Hardly, although I wish I could take all the credit. Merlin came up with the idea, I just encouraged him.”

“He really went to Arthur about this?”

“He’s worried. I can’t say that I blame him for that.”

“Yes, I’m quite aware of how you feel about the entire situation.”

The two of them walked down the hall in relative silence, the only sound was the clicking of Roxy’s shoes on the floor. The tube ride back to the shop seemed to take twice as long as it normally did. She leafed through files and occasionally stole glances at Harry, who seemed intent on staring at the floor.

As they got back up to the ground level of the shop, she figured it would be as good of a time as any to tell him, “I ran into Eggsy the other day.”

His demeanor immediately changed. He went from sulking to curious, almost wired in a way, “You did?”

She nodded, “He asked about you.”

“How’s he doing? Did he look alright?”

“Much better than a few months ago,” she fought the urge to make a comment about how for once he appeared to be handling things better than Harry.

“Good, good. I’m glad.”

“Why don’t you talk to him? He _obviously_ wants to talk to you.”

“If he wanted to talk to me, he could’ve. He knows where to find me.”

“Does he?” the two of them walked out of the fitting room, making their way towards the front door of the shop, “You’ve hardly been in the country, and that makes it hard to stop by for a chat.”

Harry didn’t have a good response to that. He hated how Roxy was able to silence him so easily, no doubt it was from being around Merlin all the time and picking up a few tricks of the trade. It was difficult enough having one person who was hard to win an argument with, and Roxy was much less forgiving about it than Merlin was. Harry was going to have a talk with Merlin about that, tell him that he was no longer allowed to teach other agents those sorts of things.

He asked her just how long he should expect to be under the Kingsman version of house arrest for. She laughed and shrugged, relishing every moment of it, “As long as it takes. I’m sure they’ll ease you back into it with shorter missions, quick things that won’t take a lot of emotional toll.”

“You’re loving this, aren’t you?”

Her tone and smile were unapologetic, “Absolutley.”

He sighed and shook his head, letting a few minutes of silence pass between them before asking, “Are you going to walk all the way home with me?”

She shrugged, “Merlin wanted me to make sure you actually _went home_.”

He shook his head, “I’m not a toddler, Roxy.”

“Could’ve had me fooled,” she gave a cheeky smile.

 

Eggsy had met up with his mother and sister at the park. Now that the weather was nice again it was the perfect place to spend a little time together before they had to go back to their separate lives again. Eggsy still couldn’t wrap his head around how quickly Daisy was growing. It seemed like only a week ago she was a little nugget that he could hold with just one arm. She was so smart for being so young, and so full of energy and light. Eggsy loved her to pieces and he knew that having her around was the best thing he could ask for, for his mother.

“Alright babe,” his mom stood up off the bench, “I’ve gotta run and make dinner. I’ll see you soon?”

He stood up and pulled her into a tight hug, “’Course, Mum. Take care-a yerself and Daisy, yea?”

She nodded and smiled as Daisy came running over and jumped into her brother’s arms. He laughed as he swung her around, finally stopping and perching her on his hip, “You be good for Mum, alright?”

Daisy smiled, nodding happily before she leaned forward and gave Eggsy a kiss on the cheek, “I love you, Eggsy.”

His heart melted, “I love you too, Dais,” he kissed her on the forehead and handed her off to Michelle.

When he finally made it home, he couldn’t help but to notice that the downstairs lights in Harry’s house were on. He sighed, knowing that if he didn’t do anything right then, he’d put it off forever. "Bollocks," he mumbled under his breath as he slowly walked across the street, taking a deep breath before knocking on the front door. He waited a few moments, tempted to turn and run, when the door opened slightly, revealing Harry, who must’ve gotten home from work only a short while before. He still had his slacks on with his crisp, white work shirt, and his tie loosened at the neck.

“Eggsy, what a surprise,” his eyes lit up when he saw the boy in front of him, “Are you alright?”

If he hadn’t been to Harry’s house so many times before, he wouldn’t have been sure that the man who answered the door was really Harry Hart. He seemed so different from what Eggsy remembered. He looked worn out, like jetlag had been his perpetual state for far too long. Eggsy always had him pictured as his suited-up, put together neighbor, but that seemed to have faded in the months they went without talking. He snapped back to the conversation, “Yea, yea I’m okay,” Eggsy had never felt more awkward in his entire life.

“Locked out again?” Harry gave a knowing smirk.

Eggsy chuckled, “No, not tonight,” his face grew slightly more serious, “I jus wanted to stop by and talk, if that’s alright…”

Harry’s heart melted inside his chest. He never thought that he’d ever hear words like that from Eggsy ever again. He opened the door the rest of the way, “Of course it is. Please, come in.”

He smiled as he stepped inside, carefully taking his sneakers off and setting them to the side, “Thanks, bruv.”

Harry was trying to hide his nerves as Eggsy found his way to the kitchen, taking his seat at the counter as if not a single thing between them had changed. Part of him was worried that Eggsy still had some anger and other issues to hash out with him, which wouldn’t have been the strangest thing since they never took the time to talk about what happened and what he’d been through, but it was the calmest and happiest he’d ever seen the boy. It almost was as though he’d come to terms with all that had been going on. Harry would never stop blaming himself, but Eggsy just might.

He asked Harry how things were going, what kind of places he’d been to. He asked how Merlin was and if his life had gotten any less complicated now that Goodwell was out of the picture. Eggsy wanted to ask what kind of cool things he’d been up to, but he knew that that would be taking it a step too far.

In turn, Harry asked how his second semester of school had gone, if he and his roommates were doing alright. He didn’t want to pry into Eggsy’s head too much, after all Roxy had carefully hinted at what had been going on, and if Eggsy was finally okay Harry didn’t want to tear open an old wound. He asked if Eggsy had asked out the girl a few blocks down yet, after all, the few times he’d seen Eggsy he was either going to Anna’s, or vice versa. 

Eggsy had laughed and shook his head, “Nah bruv. She’s amazing, don’ get me wrong. She ain’t my type though. That and, well, she asked me ‘bout Alex a few days ago.”

“Your roommate?”

“Oh yea” there was a knowing smile on his face, “They’ve been skirtin’ around that thing for a little while now.”

Harry had been so overridden by the joy of having Eggsy sitting at his kitchen counter again that his filter wasn’t doing its job as well as it should’ve been. Before he had the chance to think better of it, he said, “But who in their right mind would give up a chance to have _you_?” He regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth, but he was so used to not having someone there to actually _hear them_ that he forgot he needed to take notice of what thoughts got turned into verbal expressions.

Eggsy saw the embarrassed look on the man’s face and chose not to make it worse. It was the first time in months that they talked so he chose to play it safe and let it slide for the time being. “Well, if we’re basing this off past experiences…” he looked at Harry and laughed.

“Would you like some tea?”

Eggsy shook his head, “Nah, that’s alright. Thanks though.”

He sat there, answering all the questions that Harry had. It seemed as though the man was never out of things to want to learn about him. Eggsy had missed that in a way, because he hadn’t ever met someone before who had a genuine interest in his life, even the boring parts of it like school and things of that nature. There were a few times that he could almost swear that Harry stopped himself from saying something, but Eggsy brushed it off, just like he pretended not to notice when Harry stared at the jagged mark that went down the left side of his neck. The last thing that he wanted was for everything to start going downhill again.

Harry listened to Eggsy go on about classes, and his schedule for the fall. He smiled and nodded, grateful for every word seeing as how he never thought the boy would speak to him ever again. Still, he wanted to talk about everything that had happened. More than a few times he caught himself staring at the scar on the boy’s neck instead of into his eyes where his attention should’ve been, like a subconscious reminder that there was still unfinished business between the two of them that needed to be addressed. He couldn’t quite force himself to do it though, he was too busy reveling in the fact that he hadn’t lost the boy completely.

When Eggsy left that night, his goodbye was as noncommittal as it had ever been. He didn’t say, “I’ll see you soon,” or, “Talk to you later,” or anything of the sort. The subtlety of that didn’t escape Harry, and there was a moment of fear that maybe the boy wasn’t planning on coming back, perhaps he wanted to end things on a good note.

“Take care, Harry,” he smiled as he turned and walked down the front path.

“You too, Eggsy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got some fun stuff planned for the next few bits, so please do stay tuned. xox


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this update took a bit longer than usual, so sorry about that. I've had some family stuff going on and not too much time to write. Hopefully you like the chapter enough to forgive me. xox

The guys managed to talk Eggsy into going out with the rest of them, actually letting himself drink this time after Alex promised five _million_ times over that he’d be the one to drive them all home. It’d been months since he went out drinking, figuring that it was worth missing if it gave him a good night’s rest. But it’d been a while and things inside his brain had been calm for the most part, so what was the worst that could happen?

“You sure you don’ want me to drive, bruv?” he asked Alex as he pulled his hat on.

He gave Eggsy a look and shook his head, “You’ve been the DD for ages now. And besides,” he smirked as he snatched the keys off the table by the door, “’S my car.”

Alex picked a different club to go to, someplace that none of the other guys had ever been to before. It was more or less the same as their usual place, just different people and a different setup. There was still a bar and a dancefloor and a lounge area. Honestly all the guys cared about was if there would be alcohol, good music, and girls.

They’d been there for only a few minutes before Anna popped up, giving all of them hugs as she tried not to spill her drink. Eggsy laughed, “What’re you doin’ here, Doll?”

“The girls and I come here almost every week!”

“How’d that never come up?”

She shrugged, “Dunno, I told Alex a little while back that you all should come out one of these nights.”

He gave her a knowing smirk, “Oh did you?”

She knew what that look meant, “Don’t go giving him a hard time about it, alright?”

“Can’t promise nothin’.”

As per usual, they all lost track of time. It was easy to do when there was good music and pretty girls everywhere. Eggsy’s break from any and all alcohol seemed to mean that it didn’t take _nearly_ as much to get him drunk. Alex tried to keep an eye on him, seeing as how he was back to being a lightweight, but Anna kept him out on the dancefloor and he couldn’t seem to tear himself away.

By the end of the evening, Alex had to go and pry Eggsy from whatever girl he’d managed to sweet-talk for the night. “C’mon, bruv,” Alex fought to keep a semi-straight face, “we gotta head back.”

“Aight, I’ll catch up,” he gave Alex a smirk before turning back to the girl who was seemingly attached to him. He hadn’t caught her name but on some level he knew that it didn’t matter. She pulled him into a kiss, running her fingers back through his hair. He smiled as he rested his hands on her hips, finally pulling away, “I’ll see ya ‘round, Love.”

When they all got back to the house, Alex went around to the passenger side of the car to help Eggsy, whose legs didn’t seem to be working with the rest of his body anymore. He draped the boy’s one arm around his shoulders as he walked up to the front door and fumbled one-handedly in his pocket for his keys.

“Why aren’t you ova at Anna’s, bruv?” his words were a little slurred, but it was nothing Alex hadn’t experienced before, “Yer ass should be two blocks down.”

Alex rolled his eyes, “You’re in no condition to take care of yourself, Eggsy. That’s why I’m here. Plus,” he kicked the door shut behind them, “she was trashed. I gave her a kiss on the forehead and sent her off with her DD. Happy?”

He set Eggsy down on his mattress, thinking to himself that he did _not_ miss when Eggsy was a lightweight back in the day. He pulled the boy’s hat and sneakers off, smiling and shaking his head the entire time as Eggsy tried to insist that he could take care of himself, that he wasn’t a little kid (which was hard to believe as he cradled JB in his arms like the dog was his child). Alex ruffled his hair and said goodnight before heading down the hall to his own room, he could’ve sworn that he heard his bed _actually_ calling his name. He forgot how exhausting it was to take care of all of them when they were drunk, and made a mental note to take Eggsy up on the next offer.

 

Eggsy let out a yell as his head smacked the floor. He struggled against his blanket as he tried to catch his breath, frantically looking around the room to make sure that he really was home and that his reality was much safer than what he’d just been trapped in. He forced himself into a sitting position and leaned back against his bed as JB waddled to the edge of the mattress and whimpered, as if asking if Eggsy was alright.

He sat there for a moment, wondering if his yell had been loud enough to wake up any of the other guys. He grabbed his phone to look at the time, and silently shook his head when he realized that nothing could wake those boys up at 3:45 in the morning after a night out. Eggsy could’ve set off an atomic bomb and they wouldn’t have known the difference.

His hands were shaking and his head was throbbing. He couldn’t tell if the latter was from drinking, the nightmare, or the fact that it just collided with the hardwood flooring of his room. He figured it didn’t have to be just one of the three causing the pain he was in.

Drinking never ended well. He _knew_ that. Why he had let himself think that it would be different was beyond him, and he was already chastising himself for it. He was still fighting to steady his breathing and hands as he fumbled with his phone. It was too much. Instinctively he scrolled down to Roxy’s name in his contacts. He’d done it a million times before but had just never actually called. He stared at the screen for a long time before locking his phone again. A phone call wasn’t going to be enough this time.

“Fuck it,” he whispered as he kicked free of his blanket and unsteadily rose to his feet. He wasn’t sobered up quite yet and he didn’t truly realize it until he tried to put his sneakers back on. He sighed as he finally just jammed his feet into them, skipping the lace-tying completely. He looked back at JB, “You stay here,” he whispered as he patted him on the head, “I’ll be back.”

It was dark out and even the street lamps didn’t seem bright enough. He slowly made his way across the street and up Harry’s walk. He stood on the front steps, more confused about what he was doing than ever before. He didn’t know what he expected to get out of this but he also didn’t see how it could leave him any worse off. He steadied himself against the doorframe as he knocked a few times.

Not too long after, the door slowly opened and revealed an extremely disheveled Harry Hart. His hair was curly and sticking out in all directions as he fussed with the belt of his robe. He looked up, expecting to see an endearing and flirtatious drunken Eggsy, but was greeted by nothing of the sort. He snapped to attention immediately as he took in how distraught the boy looked.

He was clearly drunk, Harry could still smell the alcohol and smoke from the club on him. But there was no uncoordinated humor and laughter about him this time. His eyes were rimmed with red and he looked like the blood had been drained from his entire body. The circles under his eyes were already reappearing.

“Eggsy, I-”

“You said,” Eggsy’s voice had a tremor, “that if I ‘ad nigh’mares, I could stay wiff you.”

Harry’s brow furrowed as he tried to piece together what the boy was saying, “You’re always welcome here, of course.”

“Las’ time I was sleepin’ ‘ere. You, you said I could stay if I needed you,” he felt like his legs were going to give out, “I need you righ’ now, ‘Arry.”

It suddenly hit him that Eggsy was still standing, sort of, on his front steps. He quickly stepped out and helped get the boy inside, supporting most of his weight as he did. He sat Eggsy down on the couch and flicked the lamp on low, just enough to see if Eggsy was physically alright. Injuries he could take care of in a snap, whatever was going on inside Eggsy’s head on the other hand, would take a while longer.

He saw the welt on the side of Eggsy’s forehead. He reached forward and delicately touched it, still making Eggsy shrink and coil away from him. “Lie down and I’ll get you a cold cloth for that,” he stood up and started to make his way towards the bathroom.

When he came back, Eggsy reached for the cloth but Harry shook his head and gently pushed the boy’s hand away, folding the cloth and placing it across the boy’s forehead himself. Eggsy pulled a face but made no move to stop him.

“What happened?”

“Fell offa m’bed.”

“I’m sure you didn’t come over here at nearly four in the morning because you fell off your bed, Eggsy,” he managed to sit on the very edge of the couch so they’d still be close.

“Ever since,” his breathing hitched, not wanting to actually say what happened, “I been gettin’ nightmares. They’ve been goin’ away I guess. But when I drink,” he cringed as a shooting pain shot through his head, like his body punished him for even _talking_ about what he got himself into that night, “it’s just, it’s so bad, bruv,” his voice had gotten quieter as it started to waver again, “It’s fuckin’ awful.”

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” he fought the urge to reach and take the boy’s hand in his own.

He nodded but there were a few minutes of total silence before he could actually force himself to say anything. “It wasn’ like usual. Us’ally it’s just what ‘appened, only more blood or screamin’ or whatever. But this time,” he clenched his hands into fists to try and stop their trembling, “this time it wasn’t…it wasn’t him that,” it felt like his throat was closing up and he had to stop talking for a minute.

“It’s alright, Eggsy,” he rested his hand on the boy’s shoulder, “take your time.”

He nodded, struggling to take a deep breath to pick up where he left off, “It waddn’t ‘im that, that had me. Like, you know wha’ happened. ‘E had me ‘gainst the wall, chokin’ me er whatever. But it wasn’t him this time. It was…it was you,” he quickly wiped away the tears, “But that wasn’ even what woke me up,” he fought to get each word out as he tried not to start sobbing, “He shot you, Harry. He fucking _shot_ you. And, and….and you still had me. And, fuckin’ Hell, Harry, the _blood_. I just,” he shook his head and he couldn’t force himself to say anything more.

Harry felt like his heart weighed down his entire body as he sat there listening to Eggsy. All of this was going on inside this poor boy’s head and there was hardly anything to be done about it. He ran his fingers through Eggsy’s hair, smoothing it back out of his face.

“Eggsy, Eggsy look at me,” his voice was soft but certain, “It’s alright. Everything is alright now. You’re still here, and I’m still here, and that’s not going to change for a very long time. No one is hurt, no one’s in danger,” he ventured to rest his hand on top of Eggsy’s, “I promise.”

It was so simple, and it wasn’t anything that Eggsy didn’t already know. But it was all he needed to hear _someone else_ say it, just so he knew that he wasn’t crazy. He just needed someone else to tell him that it was scary but that was alright because nothing bad was going to happen anymore. He slowly nodded but couldn’t quite conjure up the right words to say. He didn’t have to, though. Harry could see through the tears in the boy’s eyes that it was a good start.

“Under any other circumstance I’d offer you a stiff drink,” his mouth kicked up into a smile for a brief moment, “But as it stands…would you like some tea?”

Eggsy nodded but didn’t say anything. Harry smiled as he silently strolled off into the kitchen.

He came back out a couple minutes later to find Eggsy passed out on the couch. He smiled and shook his head as he set the drinks down on the end table; he should’ve known that would happen. He looped Eggsy’s arm around his shoulders and picked him up so that Eggsy’s legs were hooked over Harry’s one arm as his other supported the boy’s back. Harry slowly made his way up the stairs, trying his hardest to keep the boy steady so as not to wake him.

They made it all the way to the doorway of the spare bedroom before Eggsy stirred slightly in the man’s arms. He didn’t even open his eyes, “Can I stay wiff you?”

“Of course,” Harry didn’t know why the boy would think that he’d send him back at that point.

Eggsy heard the door creak slightly. He didn’t lift his head from Harry’s shoulder, “No, I mean,” he didn’t finish his sentence as he brought his other arm up so that his fingers interlocked behind Harry’s neck, his eyes still shut.

He felt his heart melting inside his chest. His voice was softer, “Of course.”

He turned and went to the other end of the hallway, nudging his bedroom door open with one foot. He slid the dimmer on the ceiling light up just enough so that he could see where exactly he was stepping now that he had precious cargo. He managed to gently set Eggsy down on his side of the bed, which he would’ve regretted immediately if the boy didn’t lie down and curl up so easily, as if he’d slept there his entire life.

Harry stepped back to go down the hall, but Eggsy sat up ever-so slightly. “Where you goin?” his voice was gravelly.

The man couldn’t suppress his smile, “I’m just getting you something different to sleep in. I’ll be right back.” He came back with the set of pajamas that Eggsy had slept in the last time he was there, “Come on, this’ll be quick and painless, I promise.”

Eggsy groaned but did as he was asked. Harry pretended that he didn’t feel a slight twinge of something resembling jealousy when he saw the red lipstick smear that had been hiding just below the collar of Eggsy’s shirt. It disappeared again quickly as Eggsy pulled on the t-shirt Harry had given him. He pulled off his sneakers and managed to somehow shimmy out of his jeans without falling over and pull on the flannel pants Harry had given him. He sat back down on the edge of the bed and looked up at Harry through half-hooded eyelids. 

“Betta?”

Harry smiled and nodded, “Much.”

“Good,” Eggsy mumbled tiredly as he laid back down again, sliding underneath the covers.

Harry smiled as he walked over and shut the lights off. He walked around to the other side of the bed and crawled in under the covers as well. He laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling and trying to figure out what exactly was going to happen next.

“How did you even remember me telling you that, Eggsy?”

“Tell me what?” his words were hardly discernible.

“That you could stay here if you had nightmares. You were _beyond_ drunk.”

Even though his voice was muffled, Harry could still hear the wit and hint of joy, “I remember the important stuff, bruv. No matta what.”

Harry smiled and looked over at Eggsy, who was still facing the wall away from him. The boy’s shoulders slowly rose and fell as his breathing finally began to return to normal. Harry knew that there wouldn’t be any falling back to sleep for him, but as long as Eggsy got some rest it’d all be alright. Every now and then he’d glance over, as if something would change in a few minutes in those small hours of the morning and he’d have to jump to the rescue.

He was just about to slip into the realm of unconsciousness when he felt something press against his side. He opened his eyes halfway and smiled as he saw Eggsy, still asleep, curled up against him. The smile on his face didn’t fade as he carefully slid his arm underneath the boy, protecting him from anything else that might try to hurt him again that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bisexual!Eggsy is v v important to me. Plus it gives a sneak peek at Jealous!Harry which is always fun. ^.^
> 
> As always, comments are more than welcome! :)


	24. Chapter 24

When Eggsy woke up the next morning, the night before was impressively clear considering how much he’d had to drink. He reached to wipe the sleep from his eyes when he felt Harry shift in his sleep. He immediately froze up, not quite sure what he was supposed to do. Normally when he woke up somewhere besides his own bed after a night out he was itching to get back home. But this wasn’t anything like those times. Somehow throughout the course of the night, Eggsy had become all but laid completely on top of Harry.

He left his head on the man’s chest, trying just to focus on the sound of Harry’s breathing and heartbeat. Nothing was making any sense but in that moment he didn’t really think that he cared.

Harry felt Eggsy stirring, and silently hoped that he wouldn’t get up and slip away. He feigned sleep and smiled slightly as he felt Eggsy nestle closer to him. Harry sighed as he wrapped his arm around the boy and slowly ran his hand up and down his back, feeling the tension in Eggsy’s body begin to lessen once again.

Eggsy wanted to ask what was going to happen, what they were even going to do about anything. But he stopped himself, reasoning that there was no need to disturb what was happening in that moment to answer a question he didn’t really care about the answer to.

The silence of the room was broken by the sound of Eggsy’s phone going off in the pocket of his jeans that were still on the floor. He groaned as he rolled over and reached blindly off the bed, groping around until his hands found the right pocket. “What?”

“Where’d you get to, bruv?” Alex sounded worried, but at least relieved that Eggsy answered his phone.

“You know how my head gets sometimes when I drink,” he mumbled, “I jus hadda go somewhere ta calm down.”

“You’re alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“Aight, just making sure. I’ll see you later.”

“See ya,” he dropped his phone back onto the floor and ran his hands over his face. He leaned back onto the bed and buried his face into his pillow, wanting to go back to sleep for the next few years. There was still a pulsating against his skull and he would’ve given anything to have it go away.

After a few minutes of silence, Harry looked over at Eggsy, who was fast asleep once again. He smiled and shook his head to himself as he carefully slid out of bed to take a shower and get dressed. He grabbed a clean set of clothes from his dresser before disappearing into the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom.

When he came back into the bedroom, Eggsy was sprawled across the entirety of the bed, and Harry couldn’t help but to chuckle and shake his head. He set his sleepwear on the edge of the bed and walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed closest to Eggsy’s head. He ran his hand up and down the boy’s back, causing him to slowly stir from his sleep.  
“C’mon, Eggsy,” his voice was soft, almost as if he were trying to coo the boy out of bed, “Time to wake up.”

He let out a groan of sorts, “No.”

Harry had been expecting a witty remark or a bit more of a fight, but he found himself laughing at Eggsy’s simple defiance, “Yes, come on now. You can use my shower to clean up a bit.”

Rather than giving Eggsy the time to respond and argue further, Harry got up off the bed, picking up Eggsy’s clothes and his from the previous day as he went. He quietly walked out of the room and wound his way downstairs to toss the clothes into the latest load of laundry. Harry wasn’t going to send the boy home in clothes that still wreaked of smoke and alcohol if he could help it. He strolled into the kitchen and set about making tea, and starting breakfast.

Eggsy forced himself into an upright position, running his hands over his face. His head wasn’t totally right yet, but he reasoned that a shower _would_ help with that. He sighed as he got off the bed and walked into the bathroom. He fought his initial instinct to snoop around, telling himself that there would be plenty more time for that at a later date. He turned on the shower, waiting for the water to turn hot before peeling off his t-shirt and pajama pants. (Part of him wondered when Harry stopped sleeping in them, when he’d outgrown a style that he undoubtedly would’ve looked good in.)

He wanted to give into the urge to sit down on the floor of the tub and let the hot water beat down his back, but he knew that if he sat down he may very well never get himself to stand up again. He leaned against the tile wall and let the water cascade down his shoulders, falling onto his chest and back. He washed up, telling himself that Harry wouldn’t mind his borrowing some shampoo and body wash. That, and well, there were worse things in the world for him at that point than smelling like Harry Hart for the rest of the day.

There was a knock at the front door. Harry glanced over at the clock, not realizing how he let the day slip so much away from him. For God’s sake it was almost noon. He sighed as he walked over and pulled the door open to see Roxy, chipper as ever. Harry still wasn’t overly used to seeing her in civilian clothes. He smiled and let her in.

“Afternoon, Roxy.”

“Hello, Harry,” she caught the scent of breakfast floating through the house, “Late start to the day?”

He chuckled, “Just a bit behind schedule is all.”

“Well, there’s worse things in the world,” she sat down at the counter in the kitchen.

Harry bit his tongue despite wanting to tell Roxy that she was sitting where Eggsy always sat, “What can I do for you, Miss Morton?”

She shrugged, “Arthur wanted me to drop by and make sure you weren’t going stir-crazy with this whole, ‘no mission’ thing.”

He rolled his eyes as he turned back to the stove, “I’m doing just fine, thank you.”

“Don’t give me that attitude, Harry. I’m just following orders.”

Harry opened his mouth to make a witty remark, but before he was able to, Eggsy’s voice drifted in. Harry and Roxy both looked over to see him, with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

“Oh, um,” Eggsy’s face immediately reddened when he saw Roxy, “ay, Roxy.”

She smiled, suppressing a giggle, “Well hello, Eggsy. How’re you?”

He didn’t fancy having a conversation with one of the poshest, most put-together girls he’d ever known while he was practically naked. Still, he was polite, “I’m aight I guess. You?”

She nodded, “I’m just fine.”

“Good, good,” he turned to Harry, “I couldn’t find my clothes from las’ night…”

Harry chuckled, knowing that the second Eggsy walked out of the room he was going to get an earful from Roxy, “I put them in the wash. There should be a set that’ll fit you in the spare room if you paw around that dresser.”

“Aight, thanks,” he quickly excused himself and all but flew back up the stairs.

Roxy turned to Harry with a satisfied smile, “Ah, yes, I see you _are_ doing _just fine_ , Harry.”

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “I know what you’re thinking, and it’s not that.”

“Oh? Then what is it, then?”

He didn’t really know what it was. He didn’t think that Eggsy really knew either. He took a deep breath, “I don’t really know.”

“You might want to figure that out, Harry.”

“Really? Thank you, I had no idea.”

“So what even happened, anyway?”

“He had a nightmare and ended up drunk on my doorstep looking for someone to talk to who actually knew what happened.”

She cast him a dubious look, “That’s all?”

Harry sighed, feeling like he was in high school gossiping with the people he sat with at lunch, “He ended up falling asleep in my room with me.”

Her face broke out into a smile, “ _Harry Hart_!”

He wanted to give her a stern look but it turned into a laugh instead, “Oh hush, Roxy. The boy was distraught, nothing happened.”

She shook her head, “That’s good, though. There’s always next time.”

He shot her a look but before he said anything, Eggsy walked back into the kitchen. Harry looked at Roxy with an expression to let her know that Eggsy just saved her. He looked back to the boy with a smile as he took in the sight of Eggsy in a pair of sweatpants and an old Arsenal t-shirt that he forgot he even owned. He saw the slightly perplexed look on the boy’s face as he realized that Roxy was sitting on his stool. He quickly recovered and sat on the one to the right of her, at the end of the counter.

Harry set a cup of tea and a plate of food in front of Eggsy, whose expression changed as though he was looking a plate stacked high with pure gold. Harry smiled admiringly at him for a moment before turning to Roxy and offering her some.

“Sure,” she laughed, “I always love breakfast for lunch.”

The three of them all sat there around the counter, talking as if it were the most normal and natural thing in the world. Eggsy had expected to feel out of place, but in truth he couldn’t remember the last time he felt as calm as he did right then.

“Well I hate to eat and run,” Roxy stood up and set her plates in the sink, “but I think I’ve extended my lunch hour long enough.”

“It was nice seeing you again, Eggsy,” she smiled as she gave him a hug.

“You too, Rox.”

“I’ll see you out,” Harry followed her out of the kitchen, resting his hand on Eggsy’s shoulder as he walked by.

“Glad to see you’re doing so well, Harry,” Roxy smirked. He sighed and was about to say something, but she rested her hand on his arm, “I’m just playing, Harry. But honestly, it’s nice to see you happy. I hope this works out.”

“Whatever _this_ is,” he gave a small smile.

“You two will figure it out,” she nodded, “Well, I’ll report back to Arthur that you’re in one piece and seemingly stable. And I’ll tell Merlin that you’re no longer pining after your neighbor, but finally doing something about it.”

“Roxy I swear if you-”

“Have a good day, Harry!” she smiled as she all but bounded down the front walk to the Kinngsman car that she’d borrowed.

He sighed and shook his head as he shut the door. He walked back into the kitchen and saw Eggsy at the sink, washing dishes and stacking them neatly in the drain board. Harry stood back and watched for a few moments with a pleased smile on his face. He thought of Eggsy Unwin as many things, but domestic hadn’t been one of them. He was quite pleased that he was wrong.

Finally, he spoke up, “You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

Eggsy shrugged as he dried off his hands, “’S the least I could do.”

The two of them stood there, the question on both their minds hanging in the air like a thick fog. Of course though, they were both too nervous to just follow through and ask it.

“You have plans today, Eggsy?”

He sighed and gave a slow nod, the reality of how much of the day had slipped away was just setting in, “Yea, I gotta run and take care-a JB, then I’m meeting up with my mum and sis later. It’s been a bit since I las’ saw ‘em.”

“How are they?”

Eggsy nodded, “They’re good,” he paused, “Hey, Harry, c’n I ask you somethin’?”

“Of course.”

“Well, it’s jus’ that, Dean’s been layin’ off me ‘nd my mum ever since I got back. I jus’, I dunno, did you have somethin’ ta do with that?”

Harry gave him a knowing smile, “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about, Eggsy, I’m sorry.”

Eggsy chuckled, “Aight, well, thank you,” he paused and looked down at the floor, curling his toes against the hardwood floor of the kitchen, “I don’t wanna just leave, but…”

Harry found himself smiling, “Have to return back to the real world, do you?”

There was a soft smirk playing at his lips, “This world’s much more fun, but yea.”

“I’ll go grab your clothes, then.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it.” Harry gave him a questioning look but waited for the explanation. Eggsy smiled, “I’ll grab ‘em next time, yea?”

Harry chuckled and he felt his muscles relax, “Alright, next time then.”

They stood there with hardly a foot of space between them, neither really wanting to move. The last thing Eggsy wanted to do in that moment was leave, but he knew that Alex was probably pulling his hair out, and he had been missing his mother and Daisy. He took a deep breath and slowly made his way to the front door.

They stood there in the doorway, Eggsy on the front steps just enough so that he wasn’t in the house anymore, because if he stayed in he knew he’d never leave. Harry went to say that he’ll see Eggsy soon, but he only got halfway through the first word before the boy threw his arms around Harry in a hug, burying his face in the man’s chest. It caught Harry a little more than off-guard but he smiled as he returned the gesture.

“Thanks, Harry,” Eggsy mumbled into the man’s shirt.

“I told you, Eggsy, you’re always welcome here,” he smiled, and when he realized that it might be a bit before Eggsy let go of him, he gently rested his chin on top of the boy’s head. He smiled as he smelled his shampoo in the boy’s hair. It wasn’t something that he would mind getting used to, and his heart warmed at the thought of it as he ran his hand up and down the boy’s back.

Eggsy didn’t want to leave and go back out into the real world, return to the reality of his life. Especially when things were so safe and comfortable and happy when he was at Harry’s. The scent of oak and whiskey, paired with the sound of Harry’s voice and whatever classical record was almost always playing quietly in the living room, had become what Eggsy knew to be a safe environment, a protected place to be. He’d never had a place that had quite that effect on him. Alex’s place was fun, and it was a perfectly great place to stay, especially considering he hadn’t had anywhere else, but it wasn’t the same. In his short stints at Harry’s he’d felt more at home than any other place before.  
“You can come back any time, you know,” Harry said softly.

“I know,” his voice was muffled against Harry’s chest.

Eggsy took a small step back and looked up at Harry, his green eyes brighter than they’d been in a while. Harry smiled and before thinking better of it, gently pressed a kiss on the boy’s forehead, “I’ll see you soon?”

“Yea,” Eggsy nodded. He took a small step back, as if he were going to turn and walk away. He looked up at Harry for a moment before standing on his tip-toes and gave him a quick but soft kiss on the lips. His face immediately began to turn red as he said, “I’ll see you later,” and walked down and across the street, leaving Harry there pleased and dumbfounded beyond belief.

Eggsy shut the door behind him and leaned back against it with a sigh. He shut his eyes as he tried to wrap his head around everything that had happened in the last twelve hours. He heard JB’s paws clattering against the floor as he ran up to Eggsy and jumped against him. He bent down and picked him up, scratching behind the dog’s ears.

"Where you been, bruv?” Jamal walked out of the kitchen, “And where did you get a fuckin’ Arsenal shirt?”

Eggsy laughed and shook his head, “Long story.”

He went upstairs and changed, figuring he’d never hear the end of it from his mother if he went out in public in a pair of sweats. He folded the clothes he’d taken from Harry’s and tucked them safely into his dresser, deciding then and there that Harry wasn’t going to get them back anytime soon.

He came back downstairs, grabbing his house keys as he went, “I’m goin’ to Mum’s,” he called back to Jamal, “I’ll see ya.”

“Ay,” Jamal got up from the couch and walked to the door, “take that dog with ya. He’s been pitchin’ a fit all day.”

Eggsy smiled as he grabbed JB’s leash and latched it onto the dog’s collar. He strolled out and made his way down the front walkway. He smiled as he looked over at Harry’s, his face turning a light shade of pink at the mere thought of all that had happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because Awkward!Eggsy and Awkward!Harry are just _too_ fun to write. ^.^


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update took so long, I've been battling some awful writer's block. Hope you all enjoy it though. xox

Harry walked into the shop on Savile for the first time in what felt like centuries. He gave a small smile as the chime above the door sounded. He strolled through and made his way up the stairs. He swung open the door to the dining room and found Merlin and Arthur both seated at the table already.

“Galahad,” Merlin smirked, “on time for once. What a pleasant surprise.”

“Well I haven’t had much to do these days that would cause me to be late,” Harry said it with just enough bite to his voice to make a point.

“Gentlemen,” Arthur was amused but knew that if he didn’t stop them they’d go on for ages, “you can continue this, later. We have a few issues to discuss first.”

Harry took his seat at the table and let Arthur begin to explain exactly why they called Harry in, because as far as he knew he was still under a house arrest of sorts. He saw the doubtful look that found its way onto Merlin’s face every now and again as Arthur spoke to how he wanted to start sending Harry off on missions again.

“You won’t be doing anything deep-cover for a long time still,” Arthur said, pointedly looking at Merlin instead of Harry for a moment, “But _I_ believe it’s in everyone’s best interest if you start getting back into things. You are one of our most experienced agents, and we can’t afford to be short-handed for very long.”

“Am I going on a mission or not, Arthur?” Harry felt like he’d been listening to the man ramble on for hours.

“Yes. You and Lancelot will be doing a short stint in Washington D.C.”

“Define short?”

Merlin piped up, being all too used to being the one delivering the details on all the missions, “Estimated time is about a week, possibly two if things are slow-moving. Can’t ever count on the Pentagon to be efficient.”

“Have you told Lancelot?”

Merlin nodded, “We spoke with her yesterday,” he paused, “You should be thankful that she’s been dropping in on you, Galahad. Without her reports you wouldn’t be leaving the city if we could help it.”

Harry nodded but he also saw the small glint of amusement in Merlin’s eyes and he knew that once Arthur left, or the wo of them were excused, the discussion about he’d be faring outside the agency would take a much less professional turn.

“So what exactly will Lancelot and I be doing?”

Arthur handed Harry a folder, “You and Lancelot are going to infiltrate the Pentagon. There’s a mole and you two are in charge of finding out who it is.”

“Do we have any leads at all?”

“You’ll be informed of that once you arrive there.”

“So they know we’re coming?”

“They know that you and Lancelot are hired investigators,” Merlin spoke up, “It was the only way we could ensure that you and Lancelot would be together.”

“Well,” Harry nodded, “I appreciate being let back out into the field. I was coming down with quite the case of cabin fever.”

Arthur looked at him, “You’d do well to remember that if Lancelot weren’t so willing to go with you on this, you wouldn’t be straying so far from home.”

“I’ll be sure to pass on my gratitude, Arthur.”

He gave a content nod, “Very well. Galahad, Merlin, you’re dismissed.”

Harry and Merlin rose from their seats, Harry grabbed his folder, and the both of them said their goodbyes before quietly slipping out of the room.

As they walked down the stairs, Merlin turned and looked over at Harry, “We’re not done here,” he chuckled, “I hope you know that.”

“Oh trust me, I know,” Harry smiled as he opened the door to the shop, “But if you’re going to pry into my personal life again the least you could do is buy me lunch.”

The two of them were seated outside at a café that was a couple blocks away from the shop. They went there whenever they both had the same block of free time for lunch, or just desperately needed to get away from the shop and HQ for a bit. The waitresses recognized them and a few didn’t even need to ask what their orders were.

Once the waitress brought their drinks, Merlin looked across the table at Harry, “So, Lancelot has been reporting to me about just how well you’ve been doing while you’re, as you put it, _grounded_.”

Harry nodded and sipped on his tea, “I’m sure she has.”

“She seems awfully excited about you and your neighbor.”

“Eggsy, Merlin. His name is Eggsy,” he chuckled, “With all the eavesdropping you’ve done I figured you’d’ve picked that up along the way.”

“I’ve been giving you your privacy.”

“Roxy tell you to do that?”

“That’s not the point.”

Harry laughed, “Well, either way, is there something in particular you wanted to ask me about him?”

“What’s even going on? Last I heard he wanted absolutely nothing to do with you, and now it seems like the lad is all but living with you.”

“He’s _far_ from living with me, Merlin.”

“How far? Because from what Lancelot’s told me, almost every time she’s stopped in the boy’s been there, no matter what time of day it’s been.”

“He spends a lot of time with me, yes, but that doesn’t mean he’s living with me,” the waitress set their plates in front of them and Harry smiled, “Thank you,” he turned back to Merlin, “But if you must know, he comes and spends nights at my house every now and again. He enjoys being there and I certainly don’t mind the company.”

“When do I get to say I told you so?” Merlin gave a cheeky grin.

Harry shook his head and laughed, “In regards to what?”

“I had you pegged from the second you spoke to that boy.”

He wanted to argue, but he knew that Merlin had called it before Harry had even thought it. “Whenever it pleases you, then,” he smiled slightly and the two of them went back to their lunch.

 

“So is he your _boyfriend_?” Anna’s smile stretched from ear-to-ear as she laid on Eggsy’s bed with her head in his lap. It was moments like that, when they were lounging around his room, that she realized just why everyone had thought there was something going on with her and Eggsy in the beginning.

Eggsy laughed, “Aight, let’s not get carried away, yea?”

“You like him though,” she wasn’t phrasing it as a question, “and he likes you.”

“That’s about as far as it’s gotten so far, yea,” Eggsy figured he’d leave out the details of some of the late nights he’d spent at Harry’s. He couldn’t even blame what’d happened on alcohol since he didn’t drink anymore, not that he really wanted to, though. If fooling around with someone could be that great when you’re both sober why try and take away from that? He liked staying at Harry’s, even when nothing overly physical happened. There was something about just being around him.

“So how did that even _happen_?” she sounded so curious, “It just seems so, I dunno, unlikely.”

Eggsy laughed, “You don’t gotta tell me that twice, Doll. But it’s just, shit, I don’ really know, sometimes it’s kinda like he jus’ _gets it_.”

“Gets it?”

“Yea, even when I don’t.”

She couldn’t help but to smile at the look on Eggsy’s face. She’d never seen the boy so happy and for once he actually seemed alright. So she didn’t care if Eggsy called the man his boyfriend or not, as long as he was happy.

“But what about you?” Eggsy playfully tapped her nose, “You and Alex gonna make things official anytime soon?”

“Whenever he feels like making it official, Eggsy.”

He smiled, “He likes you a lot, y’know.”

“Yea?”

“He’d be daft to not, honestly.”

She laughed as she sat up and leaned back against the headboard next to him, “When did we get like this, Eggsy?”

He chuckled and shook his head, “No fuckin’ clue, no fuckin’ clue at all,” he opened his mouth to say something when his phone started buzzing on the stand next to his bed. He glanced over and when he saw Harry’s name blinking across the screen, he looked over to Anna, “Mind if I?”

She smiled, “Go for it.”

“Ay, ‘Arry, everythin’ alright?” it wasn’t often that the man called him, “Oh, yea, that’s fine. I’ll swing by later then. ‘Course. Alright, I’ll see you then,” there was the cheesiest grin on the boy’s face, “Bye.”

As soon as Eggsy hung up the phone and set it down, Anna nudged his shoulder with a smile, “What was that about?”

“He wan’s me to stop by later.”

“It’s so cute that he calls you.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes, “Aight, don’t start gushing over this.”

“Take all the fun out of it,” she laughed.

“I don’t gush over you and Alex.”

“And I’ll pretend that I’m not offended by that.”

He laughed, “Oh, what, would it make ya feel better if I did?”

She thought about it for a moment, “Actually, now that you say that, I’d probably get a little worried if you started.”

“Exactly.”

“When do you have to go to Harry’s?”

“Not fer another hour or so.”

“Alright, so you’ve got plenty of time to tell me about him.”

“ _Anna_ ,” Eggsy groaned.

“Ay, you know _all about_ the guy I’m dating. It’s only fair that I know a little bit about the guy _you’re_ dating. I’ve been good so far, not pryin’ or anything. Throw a dog a bone.”

He sighed, “ _Fine_ , alright,” he chuckled as Anna clapped her hands and moved so she was sitting cross-legged facing him, “So his name’s Harry. And he’s act’ally pretty great…”

 

There was a knock at Harry’s front door, and it reminded him that all things considered he should probably just give the boy a damn key to the place. He already came over whenever he pleased, he might as well be able to let himself in.

Harry opened the door and smiled as he saw Eggsy on his front steps waiting patiently. For as eager as the boy always seemed to be, he never pestered Harry about having a key or pushing anything farther than where it already was. It was impressive in Harry’s mind because he knew just how determined the young man could be when he set his mind to it.

It was hard to focus on that, or focus on much of anything really as Harry looked at the boy in front of him. Eggsy had on his cap, backwards like he usually did in the summer, with a tank top and pair of jeans that fit just right. Harry still couldn’t get over how built the boy was. Granted, years of gymnastics and a brief time in the armed forces can do that to just about anyone, but it was still something that made his jaw go a little lax every time.

Eggsy smirked and gave Harry a kiss as he strolled in, “Everythin’ alright? Couldn’t really tell on the phone.”

Harry forced himself to focus on the conversation, “Ah, yes, everything’s fine.”

He cocked an eyebrow, “You sure, bruv? You seem kinda wired.”  
“I spoke to my boss the other day, and I’m going off on a mission soon…the day after tomorrow,” words couldn’t encapsulate how grateful Harry was that he didn’t have to hide too much about his job from Eggsy.

“Well that’s great, then,” Eggsy smiled as he poured himself a drink, and one for Harry as well, “That’s what you’ve been waiting for, innit?”

“Yes, but it’s just,” he paused and pressed his lips together, trying to figure out how to phrase what exactly it was he was worried about.

“What’s wrong?” Eggsy sat down on the couch and motioned for Harry to find a spot next to him.

Harry sat down and took his glass from Eggsy, “I’m going to be in the states, probably for the better part of two weeks.”

“That sounds awesome, what’s the problem?”

“I,” he stared down into his drink for a moment, “I don’t want something to go wrong here while I’m there and can’t do anything about it.”

Eggsy chuckled, “Harry, that’s what you’re worried about? You’re gonna be goin’ to a diff’rent country to fight whatever bad guys, and yer worried about what might happen to me while you're gone?”

Harry smiled, “Well, when you put it like that…”

“Like what, in perspective?” there was an amused glint in Eggsy’s eyes, “You don’ gotta worry, aight? I’ll be fine. I think I c’n handle myself for a couple weeks. But I gotta admit, my roommates might start wonderin’ what I’m doin’ home every night for two weeks straight.”

He chuckled, “You’re not really over here _that_ much, are you?”

Eggsy raised one eyebrow, “More often than not, ‘Arry.”

He smirked, “Hm, guess I didn’t really pick up on it. Not that it’s a problem, I do like having you over here.”

“Yea?” Eggsy smiled as he finished his drink and set it on the coffee table, leaning back against Harry’s side.

A small smile appeared on his face as he looked over at the boy, “Of course I do. Why would I let you be over here all the time if I didn’t?”

“Fair ‘nough,” he paused, “So what’re you doing tomorrow?”

“Probably not much else besides packing. Perhaps touching base with Roxy about the mission, why?”

“Jus’ wanted to know if I could stay over or if you had to be somewhere in the morning.”

Harry kissed Eggsy on the temple, “You can always stay.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been feeling sappy irl so congrats you get a sappy chapter. Enjoy! ^.^

Eggsy woke up the next morning, first as usual, and smiled as he felt Harry’s arms draped around him, hand slid under the cloth of the boy’s t-shirt. He’d never really been one who cared to be Little Spoon, but ever since he spending more and more nights at Harry’s he didn’t find himself having much of a choice. He didn’t mind it as much as he thought he might, though. There was something comforting about feeling the heat from Harry’s body against his back, the man’s breath tickling his neck when he woke up.

A little while later, he felt Harry shift and wrap his arms tighter around him. Eggsy smiled and placed his hands on top of Harry’s, “Morning,” he said softly.

Harry let out a quiet sigh, mumbling into the boy’s neck, “Good morning.”

While Harry was showering and getting ready to deal with the rest of the day, Eggsy made his way down to the kitchen and started making breakfast. He’d discovered that not asking for permission to do things around the house and proceeding to do them regardless was the most entertaining thing. Harry was a man with a very particular way of doing things, and having his routine at home meddled with without notice wasn’t something he cared for since it was the only area of his life he had total control over. Or at least, he did until Eggsy came along. He’d be partway through telling Eggsy that he can’t just _do_ things when he’d realize that Eggsy was a bit of a master of domesticity. The young man would just laugh and wait for Harry to apologize, or to wait for an opportunity to say I Told You So.

So when Harry came downstairs in a pair of jeans and his shirt only buttoned up halfway, hair still slightly wet and incredibly messy from a quick towel-drying, he didn’t try to fight Eggsy on how to cook anything. The only thing he asked was that he was still allowed to make his own tea, because there is such a thing as taking things too far. He put the kettle on as he and Eggsy effortlessly moved around each other as if they’d been meant to be doing this for ages.

“Can you pour me a cup too?” Eggsy asked as he shut the stove off.

Harry nodded as he pulled a second mug from the refrigerator, “Of course I can,” he set it down on the counter and walked over to Eggsy, pulling the boy close and kissing him on the temple, “You sleep well?”

Eggsy turned so he was facing Harry, gently resting his hands on the back of the man’s neck, “Yea, I slept alright,” he smiled as he ran his fingers through Harry’s still-damp mop of hair, “You sleep good too?”

Harry chuckled, “I think so. You only woke me up once with your snoring.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes as he dropped his hands back down to his sides, “I’m tellin’ you I _don’t_ snore, aight? There’s no way.”

Harry smiled as he wrapped his arms around Eggsy’s waist, “There’s no need to get upset over it. I think it’s endearing, you know, when it’s not deafening.”

He threw his hands up in exasperation, “Ya know what? I don’ need this,” he tried to wriggle free of Harry’s hold on him, not that it did any good.

“Oh stop,” the grin on the man’s face was infectious, and it was more than Eggsy could handle. The boy stopped fighting against his grip but kept his pouting face on. Harry chuckled and kissed his forehead, “You know I’m just kidding.”

“You’ve got a cruel sense-a humor, Harry.”

Harry raised one eyebrow, “Like yours is any better?”

Eggsy couldn’t keep a straight face after that, “Yea, alright, fair point.”

He planted a soft kiss on the boy’s lips, like he so often did simply because he could now and that was as good of a reason as any. Eggsy smiled and rested one hand on the side of Harry’s neck, lightly tracing the man’s cheek with his thumb as he pulled him back into another kiss, after all since when was one ever really enough? He could feel Harry’s mouth curl into a smile as he pulled the boy closer, getting rid of any spare space between the two of them. Their lips locked and Eggsy dragged his fingers back through Harry’s hair; Harry kept one hand on the small of Eggsy’s back while the other slid up and rested between the boy’s shoulder-blades, pressing their bodies close enough so that Eggsy could feel the man’s heartbeat speed up with each intermittent kiss and lip-bite.

They only stopped when the kettle started screaming. Harry pulled back and rested his forehead against Eggsy’s, breath the slightest bit ragged but his smile was as bright as it had ever been.

“I’ll finish the tea if you bring the plates to the table,” Harry said it in a way that it almost sounded like a suggestion but Eggsy knew better.

As Harry finished and was just about to pick up their mugs, he heard the sound of music coming from the living room. He smiled at the record choice. He knew that Eggsy knew next to nothing about classical music, after all the boy had never really wanted or needed to learn about it. He never failed to mention that to Harry the few times the man had asked him questions. But as the notes of one of his favorite vinyls filled the house, he couldn’t help but to feel his heart warm up to the boy a little more than before.

“Since when did you become an extraordinaire?” Harry said with a smile as Eggsy found his way back to the table and sat down.

He laughed, “Still not. But I’ve seen you flip through ‘em a couple-a times.”

Harry listened to Eggsy talk about a little bit of everything over breakfast. It started with Eggsy saying he still had no clue how Harry could tell the difference between different classical music records. He said that it was all just instruments which was all fine and good, but how were you supposed to be able to say that one belonged to one artist and one belonged to another?

“It’s like being able to tell what fuckin’ year booze was made,” he said with a chuckle and a shake of his head, “I love my drinks as much as the next guy, but I can’t tell you the day the damn thing was brewed and what temperature it was in the bloody factory where they made it.”

Harry laughed, nearly causing tea to come out of his nose, “You have a flare for dramatics, don’t you?”

Eggsy smirked, “Aight, well, maybe I’m blowin’ it a _bit_ outta proportion. But ya get my point, yea?”

He smiled and nodded, “I do, Eggsy, I do. But like with anything, it just takes time and practice.”

He rolled his eyes, “I got better things ta practice.”

Harry stood up from the table, collecting his plate as he did, “Are you done?”

Eggsy nodded, “Yea, thanks,” he smiled as Harry took his plate as well.

Eggsy stood up from the table and stretched, running his hands through his hair with a yawn. He wandered back up the stairs and into Harry’s room, carefully pawing through the man’s dresser for a change of clothes. Eggsy had clothes of his own at Harry’s, and the amount of them steadily increased since he liked wearing Harry’s clothes much better even if they didn’t fit right. So even though he’d show up in clothes from his own closet, he’d leave in Harry’s, and the man tended not to comment on it, not wanting Eggsy to feel like he couldn’t. It’d been far too long since Harry had been in a comfortable enough relationship where someone made his closet their own.

Eggsy didn’t mind Harry’s pants being a little long on him, or the t-shirts being a little large in the shoulders. And besides, Eggsy rationalized, Harry hardly ever wore his casual clothing anyway, so someone might as well get a little bit of use out of it. He was doing the man a favor, really, by taking the clothes he didn’t wear anymore. That, and it eventually would make more room for his own clothes in the various dresser drawers and closet shelves and hangers.

Harry strode into the room, smiling but trying to stay quiet as he walked past Eggsy, who had laid back down and seemed to be dozing off. He opened the door to his closet and pulled out a couple of his suitcases. He was torn between being grateful to finally have another mission, and being a little put-out that he’d have to leave Eggsy behind for two weeks.

The first thing he packed was an old sweatshirt that Eggsy had worn over a couple weeks before. The hems of the sleeves were starting to fray and the string on the hood had been lost long before Harry ever knew the boy, but it was familiar and it was comforting to know that he had it. It’d be something to wear around the hotel room when he got back each night. Eggsy wouldn’t miss it too terribly, he reasoned as he neatly folded it up with care and set it in his bag.

He was halfway through packing up his last suitcase when he heard Eggsy’s body ruffle the bedsheets. He turned and smiled as the boy slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“How long was I out?”

“I guess it’d be cruel to say, about fifty hours?”

Eggsy shot him a glare that all too quickly turned into a smile as he laughed, “You’re just _so_ funny,” the sarcasm was thick enough to be cut with a knife.

He sat down and absently ran his fingers through Eggsy’s hair, fixing it slightly, “You haven’t been out for very long, don’t worry. You haven’t missed anything besides me packing.”

“Oh good, I got to sleep through the borin’ stuff,” he winked.

Harry kissed him on the forehead, “Not all of it. I still have half a suitcase to pack.”

Eggsy looked down at how neatly everything was folded and tucked away. He chuckled, knowing that if Harry _ever_ saw how he packed his gym bag, or how he packed up much of anything for that matter, he’d have an aneurism.

“How d’you even know what to pack?” Eggsy asked, “Like, you don’ even know fer sure what you’re doing.”

Harry smiled, “I’ve done this a few times, I know for the most part what to bring. And anything I need that I don’t have, I’ll get while I’m there.”

“I can’t b’lieve you’re going to the states. That’s mental.”

“Why’s that?”

“It’s on the other side of the bloody _world_ fer one thing.”

Harry laughed, “Yes, that it is.” He adored how Eggsy saw things. The boy hadn’t even the slightest inkling as to what Harry’s life had been up until that point, where he’d been or what he’d done, and because of that his thoughts and opinions were so _honest_. Since day one Harry had admired the boy’s candor, but there was something different about it when it was being applied to himself. It was endearing.

Harry’s phone started ringing, and his tone immediately took on a more professional sound as he answered, “This is Galahad.”

Eggsy looked on in wonder, not believing how Harry could switch his persona so instantly like that. The boy could only hear one side of the conversation but he had to assume that it was Roxy or Merlin. Harry had mentioned a few other people that he worked with but he never made them out to be close enough friends to the point where he’d receive calls from them.

“Of course, yes, I completely understand. I’m almost done packing, so I’ll head out as soon as I’m finished. Yes, yes that’s fine. Alright, Lancelot, I’ll see you soon.”

“Things okay?” Eggsy asked as Harry hung up with a sigh.

“Looks like I’m leaving tonight.”

Eggsy raised his eyebrows, “Yea?”

“Yes,” he took a deep breath. If plans were changing this early on, he could only imagine what the rest of this mission was going to shape up to be. He doubted it’d be overly dangerous, but the inconveniences were most likely going to be constant.

“You betta finish packin’ then, bruv,” Eggsy chuckled.

“Ah yes, it will go so quickly with all the help I’m getting,” there was a smirk playing at Harry’s lips.

 

Harry zipped the suitcase shut with a sigh. He looked over at Eggsy, “I hate to just up and leave to unexpectedly.”

Eggsy shrugged as he stood up off the bed, “Don’ worry, ‘Arry. It’s your job.”

“I know, but I told you I’d be here today.”

Eggsy couldn’t stop his smile, “It’s fine, I’ll find something to do. Anna wanted to catch a film today anyway, so it’ll all work out.”

He gave a soft smile, “I appreciate the understanding though. It’s quite helpful.”

“Well,” he smirked, “I gotta be helpful wiff something, since I didn’t help ya pack.”

Harry rested his hands on the boy’s waist, “I wouldn’t have let you help anyway,” he chuckled, “I’m quite particular about the whole thing.”

“You say that ‘bout a lotta stuff ‘round here that I’ve helped you with anyway,” Eggsy grinned.

“That’s a fair point I suppose,” he kissed Eggsy’s forehead, “But you can help me bring these to the car.”

He rolled his eyes, “Make me do all the hard stuff, I see ‘ow it is.”

Harry gently cupped the side of the boy’s face in one hand and kissed him on the lips. Knowing that he wasn’t going to be able to do that for a couple weeks wasn’t the best thought in his mind. It had been a long time, though, that something mattered enough to make it hard to leave home for work. He cherished Eggsy’s understanding nature, knowing it was going to make things so much easier as time went on and missions became a regular thing.

Harry shut the trunk of his car and turned back to Eggsy, who was standing to the side of the driveway, hands tucked in his pockets. Harry smiled and pulled Eggsy into a hug, resting his chin on the boy’s head.

“Can I ask you something, Eggsy?”

He stepped back just enough to be able to look Harry in the eyes, “’Course.”

“How good are you at not losing things?”

He laughed, “I’d say I’m pretty decent, why?”

Harry reached into his pocket and pressed something into Eggsy’s hand, “I need you to not lose this, because if you do then no one else will be able to get in and take care of my house while I’m gone.”

Eggsy looked down at the palm of his hand and beamed at the sight of the brass key resting on it. He looked back up at Harry, green eyes alight with excitement, “Really?”

He smiled and nodded, “Yes. But that’s the only extra copy I have so if you lose it you’ll just never be able to let yourself in again,” he said it with a straight face but he knew that he’d make the boy a thousand more keys if that’s what it took.

“I won’ lose it, promise,” Eggsy smiled and stood up on his tiptoes to give Harry kiss on the lips.

The grin on Harry’s face wouldn’t fade, “Good,” he paused, “Well, on that note, it’s time for me to go.”

Eggsy fought to not let his apprehension show, “Stay safe, yea?”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Good,” he rested his hands on the back of Harry’s neck and pulled him into a deep kiss, one passionate to try and make up for the next two weeks when he wouldn’t be able to touch him or kiss him at all.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Harry said it for his own sake as much as Eggsy’s.

“Talk when or if ya can?” his eyes were hopeful.

“I’ll see what I can do,” he kissed him softly, “Goodbye, Eggsy.”

“Bye, Harry,” he stepped back as Harry got into his car and drove off.

Eggsy sighed as he walked back across the street. He looked down at the key in his hands, turning it over in his fingers a few times and smiling as he did so. He swung the door open and made his way to the kitchen, looking in the fridge as if he were actually going to get something to eat. It was more of a habit than an actual need.

“’Ow’s your boyfriend?” Alex chuckled as he strolled in.

Eggsy rolled his eyes as he texted Anna, letting her know that the rest of his day just opened up for the movies, “Not my boyfriend. _But_ , I _am_ going to the movies with _your_ girlfriend,” he laughed as he made his way up to his room before Alex had the chance to make another remark.

He left Harry’s shirt on but changed into a pair of his own jeans, pulling his flatbrim on and sliding into his winged Adidas sneakers that made Harry shake his head every time he wore them over.

He opened the drawer of his nightstand pawing around until he landed on the thin chain necklace that he saved because he knew that eventually it’d come in handy for something. He slid the key onto it before latching it on. The key fell just beneath the collar of his shirt and Eggsy smiled at the feeling of it against him.

The two of them made their way to the theater. Anna had picked out some action movie, a sort of post-apocalypse adventure story. Eggsy didn’t know how he felt about it going into it, but Anna had been ranting and raving about the cast and the storyline for what seemed like months.

“Besides,” she laughed, “there’s really cool driving scenes and explosions. What more could you possibly want?”

He smiled at her, “Aight, ya got me there.”

She looked at him, just noticing the chain around his neck, “Where’d you get the necklace?” the smile on her face let Eggsy know that she was expecting him to say it was a present from Harry. She wasn’t totally wrong.

“Oh, it’s not,” he smiled as he reached under the cloth of his shirt, pulling the chain up until the key came out, “It’s, um, it’s the key to Harry’s.”

“ _What_?” her smile stretched from ear to ear, “Eggsy! That’s amazing! Look at you two.”

He chuckled, “Don’t get too worked up, Doll. It’s just ‘cos he’s goin’ away for a couple weeks for work and needs someone to stop in and take care-a things.”

She rolled her eyes, “Oh please. I’ll bet he’s been looking for a bloody excuse and it finally just came along.”

Eggsy chuckled and shook his head as the two of them sat down. He didn’t argue with her about it, though. He wanted her to be right this time.


	27. Chapter 27

When Eggsy got home from the movie he finally turned his phone back on. He threw it on the charger and immediately it started buzzing. He looked over and saw the missed texts from Harry, saying to call when he got the chance. Eggsy knew better than to get too worked up, after all Harry’s mission hadn’t even really started yet. He took a deep breath as he dialed the number, each ring seeming to take longer than the last.

“Hello?”

“Ay, Harry,” Eggsy tried his hardest to sound calm and collected, “Everythin’ alright?”

“Yes, yes, everything’s fine. There were just a few things I forgot to tell you before I left. I was a bit, well, distracted.”

Eggsy chuckled, “Aight, what’s goin’ on?”

“That key I gave you? There’s a series of numbers on one side. Those are a code that will get you to Kingsman Headquarters without needing me there to scan you through.”

“No shit?” Eggsy looked down at the key with raised eyebrows.

Harry chuckled, “Yes, well, that and I put Merlin’s number in your phone. And please, for the love of God, only use it in emergencies.”

“He don’t know ya gave it to me, does he?” he didn’t try to hide his amusement.

“He doesn’t.”

“Alright, I _guess_ I’ll try ta be responsible. Oh, but Harry, c’n I ask you somethin’?”

“Anything, of course.”

“If I stay over at your place, can I bring JB with me?”

There was a long pause, but Harry could just picture Eggsy sitting there on the phone with him with that damn dog in his lap, and he knew that even if he said no the boy would do whatever he pleased either way. He sighed, “Of course. Just be sure he doesn’t make a mess, alright?”

“You’re the gov’ner, ‘Arry.”

“Alright, well, I have to go. I’ll get in touch when I can.”

“Be careful. Talk soon.”

“Goodbye, Eggsy,” he hung up the phone and leaned back in his seat with a sigh.

There was the sound of laughter coming from the other end of their stretch of the jet. Harry looked over and saw Roxy glancing down at her phone, biting her lip to try and contain herself.

“Is there something you want to say, Lancelot?”

She couldn’t hold it in anymore, “Merlin is going to _murder_ you, Harry,” she couldn’t stop laughing, “He’ll do it elegantly, I’m sure, but you’ll be dead.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You _really_ think that Eggsy is going to be able to rein his curiosity in enough to not just pop up at HQ over the next few weeks?”

Harry chuckled, “I’d give it a couple days. But I’m sure he’ll end up there.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“I have no reason to not be okay with that. Merlin on the other hand…”

“You two are so awful to each other; you’re like children.”

“After dealing with each other for so many years, we’ve earned the right to act that way,” he paused, “We’re going to hit the ground running, Roxy. So if I were you I’d get some sleep now while you still can.”

She finished off her drink and looked over at him with a smile, “That’s just what I was about to do.”

It didn’t take Roxy long to fade off to sleep. Hardly five minutes later Harry turned to her and saw her, curled up with her one arm hanging limply off of the couch. He smiled and shook his head as he stood and draped a light blanket over her. He knew that he should be getting some sleep as well, but he knew that if he laid back and shut his eyes it wouldn’t bring him any kind of rest. He’d deal with the regret of it later, but in that moment he was a bit too excited about everything to even seriously entertain the idea of sleep.

He woke Roxy up when they were just about to start their descent. She groaned and waved him off, asking for ten more minutes. He smiled and shook his head as he peeled the blanket off of her and forced her to sit upright.

“Get yourself ready. We land in DC and there’s going to be a taxi waiting for us.”

“Ugh, yes, Harry,” she sounded groggy and bitter, but Harry knew once she walked back out into the main part of the plane, her hair would be redone, her suit straightened, and she’d be ready to take on the world. Literally.

They were escorted to a small conference room by a man whose extremely formal demeanor reminded Roxy and Harry both of a younger Percival, as the boy looked only to be in his mid-twenties. He stood in the doorway to leave, “The head of IT security will be with you in a moment.”

“Thank you,” Roxy flashed him a smile, “What’s your name, anyway?”

He looked a little caught off-guard by how friendly her tone was, “Thompson, Ma’am. Samuel Thompson.”

She held her hand out, “Call me Rachel, Samuel.”

He nodded and cracked the tiniest bit of a smile, “Nice to meet you, but, you can call me Sam.” He nodded to Harry, who hadn’t made any move to introduce himself, and quickly slid out of the room.

“Just like Percival,” Harry chuckled, “All business until someone pretty comes along.”

“I think it’s precious.”

“That American accent of yours is actually quite impressive, I must admit.”

She beamed, “I’ve been practicing!”

“Focus, you two,” Merlin grumbled into their ears.

“Well don’t you sound cheery,” Harry chuckled.

“My surveillance on you while you’re inside the building is minimal, which means you both need to be on extra high alert these next few days until I get past a few walls, alright?”

“Will do,” Roxy said as she took a seat at the table.

A few minutes later a man who was around Harry’s age, possibly a little younger, strolled in with a number of files tucked under his arm. He set them on the table and immediately went to introduce himself, “I’m so sorry for the delay,” he shook his head, “It’s been a rough time around here lately.”

“Completely understandable,” Harry’s voice had the slightest hint of drawl to it and Roxy had to stop herself from laughing.

“I’m Richard Grotevant, but you both can call me Rich.”

“Rachel Adams,” Roxy shook his hand.

“Edward Stanley,” Harry nodded and gave a firm handshake.

“Yes, we’ve been expecting the both of you,” Richard sat down at the table, “Please, take a seat,” once the both of them sat down, he began to delve into the situation a bit more, “We had our security breeched some time ago, and we thought we’d cleaned up the whole mess. Apparently not. There’s been further problems. We’ve been trying to keep it on the down-low, but that’s difficult when the whole organization is potentially compromised.”

“What do you already know?” Harry’s tone was all business.

Richard grabbed one of the files and splayed the papers out in front of them, “Well, here’s where it all started…”

 

Eggsy was sprawled out on the couch, JB lying in his lap as Harry’s records filled the house with mellow classical music. Eggsy wondered if this was how the man spent his evenings when Eggsy wasn’t there to keep him so preoccupied. He could easily see Harry lying on the couch with a book for hours, listening to his favorite records and losing all track of time.

God he was in so deep.

He didn’t really know when it happened, either. He didn’t know when his attachment to Harry had become a romantic one and not just an aesthetic one. Clearly though he wasn’t the only one who was going through a shift of sorts. After all, he had the key to the man’s house hanging around his neck.

His phone started buzzing and he answered it, voice groggy since he was half asleep, “Hello?”

Anna’s voice was bright and cheery, “You’re not in bed already, are you?”

He laughed, “Technic’ly, no. What’s goin’ on, Doll?”

“Wanted to know if you wanted to hang tonight. Alex is working late.”

“I’m at Harry’s,” he didn’t know what that sentence was supposed to mean, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

“Oh, that’s right, you’re watching his place while he’s gone,” she paused, “Mind if I stop in?”

He thought about it for a moment. It wasn’t his house really, so he shouldn’t just let people over. But he also reasoned that it was only Anna, and it’s not like anything crazy was going to go on. “Sure, you can stop in fer a bit.”

“Alright! I’ll see you in a few.”

Sure enough, within the next five minutes there was a knock at the door. Eggsy fumbled with the locks, still thinking it ridiculous that Harry had so many on one door. He opened it and saw Anna standing there, beaming at him as she took in the sight of him in a pair of basketball shorts and an old tank top.

“You look so at home, Eggsy.”

He chuckled and opened the door a little wider, “C’mon.”

As soon as he heard Anna’s voice, JB came waddling over as fast as his legs would carry him. He rubbed against the girl’s shins and sat on top of her feet so she’d have no choice but to pick him up and hold him as they walked through the house.

She smiled as she heard the music, “A fan of classical?”

“Harry is,” Eggsy smiled and shrugged, “I’m trying.”

“That’s adorable,” she grinned as she scratched JB behind the ears.

“You want somethin’ to drink?”

“Just water is fine, thanks.”

When Eggsy sat back down on the couch with her, she asked, “So are you just going to be living here for the next two weeks?”

He shrugged, “More’r less,” he chuckled, “it’ll be weird when he gets back and I havta go home.”

“Why do you have to go home when he gets back?”

“Anna.”

“I’m serious!” she nudged her foot against his, “Who says you can’t stay here? Christ’s sake you’re over here practically every night anyway.”

“Yea but tha’s diff’rent.”

“How?”

“I’m not officially livin’ with ‘im! Spendin’ the night with a bloke and movin’ in with him are two totally diff’rent things.”

“You don’t want to?”

“Right now? I think it’d be a terrible idea. He don’t even call me his boyfriend yet.”

“How would you know?”

“What?”

She sighed, “Have you ever had him introduce you to anyone since you two started seeing each other?”  
“No, but-”  
“Then how do you know he doesn’t call you his boyfriend? He might talk to his friends and co-workers like you’re the greatest thing that’s ever happened to him.”

“I just, I know him, aight? He likes me and that’s all well and good but I’m not the kinda kid he’d talk about like that.”

“Oh come off it, Eggsy,” she rolled her eyes, “Just accept the fact that you’re both crazy about each other, yea? I don’t even know the man but he gave you the key to his house.”

Eggsy smiled and shook his head, knowing that he could do a lot of things but winning an argument against Anna wasn’t at the top of the probability list. And he wanted to believe that she was spot on with it all, because how great would that be? He was just nervous. After all, he and Harry couldn’t be more different, yet there they were. It just gave him cause for concern.

“Promise me something?” she said after a bit of silence between the two of them.

“What’s that?”

“You’ll talk to him about it when he gets home.”

He sighed, “ _Anna_.”

She did an exaggerated impersonation of his voice, “ _Eggsy_.”

He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, but after a few moments he agreed, mumbling out, “Fine.”

“Thank you,” she hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek, getting a laugh out of him. “So,” she sat back, “your mum knows, right?”

He shrugged, “She knows I’m seein’ someone. Haven’t brought ‘im around or nothin’ though.”

“Why not?”

“I don’ have a death wish?” he laughed but he was completely serious, “It’s not me mum that I’m worried ‘bout. But it’s hard ta be around her without bein’ around Dean. And Dean would definitely break that streak that he’s got goin’ with not beatin’ on me.”

“I’m sorry, Eggsy.”

He shrugged, “Eh, ya jus get used to some things after a while. I’ve never brought someone ‘round if I could help it,” he paused, desperately wanting to change the topic of conversation to anything that didn’t have to do with himself, “What about you though? Alex met the fam’ly yet?”

She laughed, “Oh, he didn’t tell you?”

Eggsy smiled and shook his head, “No, but I’m assumin’ yer about to tell me one Hell of a story?”

“Oh, oh yes,” she laughed and sat cross-legged facing him. Eggsy listened intently as the girl’s eyes lit up and she went on about the most nerve-wracking day of his friend’s life.

 

“Christ, Harry,” Roxy stepped out of the bathroom of the hotel room, “it’s freezing in here.”

“My apologies,” he looked up from his laptop, “I turned the AC up.”

“Obviously,” she laughed as she grabbed a pair of sweatpants from her suitcase and threw them on over her shorts before collapsing on the bed next to him. She looked over at Harry and laughed, “Where on _Earth_ did you get that?”

He didn’t look up, “Get what?”

Roxy laugh as she pulled on his sleeve, “This. It looks like it’s been through the war.”

Harry smiled and shook his head, “Oh, it’s um, it’s Eggsy’s.”

“Oh my _god_. That’s _adorable_ ,” she smiled as she got up and went back to her own bed. “So Eggsy’s staying at your place while you’re gone?”

“I told him he could if he wanted to, yes.”

She laughed, “Like he’d ever pass up on _that_ offer.”

“Is there a point to this, Roxanne?”

She chuckled, finding it amusing when he used her full first name. She shook her head, “I’m just nosey, Harry. I like knowing these things.”

“So I’ve noticed.”

The two of them sat in silence for a while. Harry typed away on his laptop while Roxy cracked open a fresh new book that she’d bought just for the mission. On the longer missions she tried to challenge herself to see how much of a book she could get through. One particularly slow-moving mission saw her through three books. That was the record thus far. Harry would idly pick at the hems of the sleeves, something he wouldn’t ever do to any other kind of clothing. But the sweatshirt was well worn and loved and what was one more frayed seam? Besides, it was comforting.

“I’m going to try and catch up on the rest I missed on the plane,” he finally said as he took his glasses off and flipped the switch on the bedside lamp, “Goodnight, Roxy.”

“Goodnight, Harry. See you first thing in the morning,” she set her book down and turned off the light on her side of the room.

Harry took a deep breath as he nestled down under the covers. He pulled his sleeves down so they covered his hands and rested his head on top of them. The sweatshirt still smelled like Eggsy’s cologne and it was relaxing, like the boy wasn’t very far away. He had to hope it wouldn’t wear off too much before he went home. It was going to be a long mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was a bit slow. But I promise the next one will be filled with all sorts of fun stuff.  
> Well. Fun being a relative term. :p


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *groans loudly* Between being busy and having writer's block I've re-written and revised this chapter like five million times?? Still not sure if it's good. But more stuff coming and I know I said a million chapters ago that I was winding down but now I think after this and the next I will _actually_ wind down the story.
> 
> Anywho, essentially what I am saying is thank you all for being patient and please enjoy. xox

The mission had been going about as well as Harry had expected it to go, which meant it wasn’t going well at all. Fortunately enough, Roxy had been able to warm up to most everyone that they were working with, which ended up granting them more access than what they would normally have. Thanks to that, Merlin was able to slither into the surveillance system. That helped him keep an eye out for Harry and Roxy, but unfortunately it seemed of minimal contribution to finding whoever the real problem with the security breaches was.

“Hey, Rachel,” Sam popped into the dual office that Roxy and Harry had been sharing during their time there, “When do you get off work tonight?”

She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, “I’m not sure. We’ve been staying pretty late, why?”

“Oh, well, I was just wondering if,” he looked down at his shoes, “if you wanted to go get a drink later…”

She smiled at him good-naturedly, “I wish I could, Sam, but we’re pretty swamped. Besides,” she could hardly stand the disappointed look on his face, “you’re cute and charming, and I try not to mix business with pleasure.”

He chuckled, “I completely understand. Well, I’ll let you get back to work,” he smiled at her before turning and heading back to his own office.

A few moments later, Harry came striding in. By the look on his face Roxy knew that Harry saw Sam drop by. The man never missed anything and it left Roxy wondering how he was able to do it. Did years in Kingsman leave you with an eerie kind of sixth sense? She certainly hoped so.

“Sam stop by for a chat?”

She smiled, “Perhaps.”

“What did he want?”

“Just wanted to know if I was going to have the time to get a drink with him after work,” she saw the wary look on Harry’s face and sighed, “I said no. You don’t need to look at me like that. This isn’t a honeypot mission; I have no desire to get involved with anyone.”

“No need to defend yourself so strongly, Lancelot. I was just curious. After all, you’ve effectively won over every man and woman in this department, and Samuel especially so. I feel like you forget the kind of hold you can have on people.”

She laughed, “Oh _Edward_ you flatter me.”

Harry fought the urge to laugh, still not used to hearing her call him by anything except his real name or his code name, “I’m just saying, be careful. I don’t want to see you land yourself in trouble.”

“I’m not new to this, you know.”

“I never said that you were,” he continued to flip through files, finally letting out a sigh of frustration, “We’ve gotten _nowhere_. It’s been five days since we made any real progress.”

“It’s because we’ve been stuck in here all day,” she replied with a shrug as she looked around their little office, “and unless Merlin is finally able to trace back where the original break was, we’re going to have to either do it ourselves or take an insane leap of faith on who it is.”

“I’ve almost got it, Lancelot,” Merlin chirped into her ear, sounding a little offended.

“Really? Well that’s wonderful! About how much longer do you think it’ll be?”

“Depends.”

“On?”

“On how helpful my help here turns out to be.”

Harry cut in, “You’ve got an _entire department_ dedicated to you, Merlin. You’re trying to tell me that they’re _all_ useless?”

The man sighed, “It’s not a matter of _useless_ , Galahad. It’s just that whoever did this is extremely talented.”

“Well, we won’t keep you any longer, then.”

“Thank you, I appreciate it. You’ll be the first to know if I have a break-through of any kind,” there was a soft click, and they knew that Merlin had shut his mic back off again.

 

He was in the middle of typing away on his computer, trying to get past codes because _apparently_ Roxy and Harry were now completely useless on their own. Dammit why didn’t they make agents go through at least a _little_ bit of tech training? Well, sure, they’d _never_ be as good as Merlin, but they would at least be slightly more self-sufficient and the poor man would take any relief he could get, no matter how miniscule. But that wasn’t the point. He was almost to a breakthrough in encryptions when he heard someone let out a low whistle behind him, causing him to jump up in fear while grabbing the gun he kept tacked underneath the main part of his desk, pointing it at the intruder’s head.

His face dropped, as did his gun when he saw that it was only Eggsy, “How the _Hell_ did you get in here?” he was more frustrated by the fact that Eggsy had gotten in without him hearing than by the boy’s actual presence.

Eggsy’s face was pale, still not comfortable with guns being so close to his forehead. He slowly lowered his hands back down to his sides, “I, I, Harry said, he told me that,” he’d never stammered so terribly before in his life. He took a deep breath and finally got the words out, “Fuck, he said that if I needed help ta come here.”

“You couldn’t knock?” his voice was sharp.

An embarrassed smirk came across Eggsy’s face as he shrugged, “Seemed funnier in theory, bruv.”

He rolled his eyes, “You and Harry share a sense of humor, I see.”

Eggsy winked playfully, “More’n that.”

He sighed, wanting to veer the conversation from where Eggsy was trying to take it, “How did you get in?”

Eggsy seemed back at ease again as he kept his eyes focused on Merlin, who was putting the gun back in its hiding place, “You’d think that a secret agency would get betta locks on their doors.”

“You _picked_ it?” disbelief was written all over his face as he walked over and opened the door, looking on the outside. Sure enough, he had managed to pick the lock that was underneath the finger scanner and number pad. No one had ever found it before. He’d be lying to say that he wasn’t a little impressed, although he was thoroughly irked.

“Waddn’t that difficult, bruv.”

“I was unaware that you were as light with your feet as you are with your fingers; I didn’t even hear you walk in,” he found that so difficult to believe considering the ridiculous shoes the boy was wearing, and yet it happened.

Eggsy shrugged, “Ya get used to stayin’ quiet…” his voice trailed off and he was quiet for a moment before clearing his throat and resuming his look around Merlin’s office. Eggsy smiled as he plopped himself down and swirled in one of the free chairs for a few moments until he saw Merlin giving him an extremely unamused look. He smiled awkwardly and immediately sat still. He looked at all the monitors, some had feeds on them and Eggsy felt like he was in a first-person shooter video game. Others had maps and radars and any number of things that went way over his head. He watched as Merlin typed away, hardly having to look down at the keyboard as his gaze shifted from one screen to the next. He’d flip switches and give orders, relaying pieces of information that Eggsy had to assume were vital.

“You really keep everyone from goin’ up shit creek, don’t you?”

Merlin nodded, “That’s exactly what they had listed in the job requirements. ‘Must have an unlimited supply of paddles,’” he allowed himself to smile slightly. Suddenly he remembered that he still had no clue what brought the boy there in the first place. “Is there something in particular I can help you with Eggsy?”

“Oh! Yea, that,” he chuckled, “Almost fergot why I came down ‘ere in the first place,” he paused and his face took on a more serious expression, “Are ‘Arry and Roxy alright?”

Merlin looked confused, “Yes, of course. Why do you ask?”

He shrugged, “’Aven’t talked to Harry since he left. His phone’s been goin’ right to voicemail.”

“Oh,” he found himself being a little less irritated with the boy, “Well when agents are on missions I usually tell them to keep their communication with those back home to a minimum. Lessens the security risk.”

“Oh,” he scuffed his toe on the concrete floor, “gotcha. Jus’ didn’t know if there was any way that I could talk to ‘im.”

“In a few hours, perhaps. But I can’t risk having him talk to you while he’s working. The last thing he needs is another distraction.”

“Oh c’mon, it’ll only be fer a sec,” he looked like a lost puppy.

He shook his head adamantly, “Last thing I need or want to be dealing with is Harry fucking up because it was too busy talking to his boyfriend.”

Eggsy opened his mouth to argue, but stopped when he realized that Merlin referred to him as Harry’s boyfriend. Was he just assuming that? Or did Harry actually refer to Eggsy in that context during a conversation? He hoped it was the latter. But either way, it pacified the boy enough to not keep arguing over it.

As Merlin looked at Eggsy and mulled over the situation he was in, more and more questions began to surface, “Harry gave you the code to get into HQ?”

“Yea, and yer number.”

“ _What_?” he was going to kill Harry. He shook his head, “Wait, then why didn’t you just _call_?”

He shrugged, “This place seemed cool from what I remember. And ‘Arry gave me a way ta get here so why not? And I knew what dressin’ room would get me here. And that bloke at the check-out in your shop ‘elped me anyway. But then I got ta yer door and realized Harry never gave me nothin’ for that. I was about to call you when I figured I’d save us both the trouble.”

Merlin had to admire the boy’s drive and creativity, but he didn’t want to encourage the kid’s habits. Or Harry’s habits for that matter. “Well, you can’t just show up and wander aimlessly around here. Some of the other agents are a little more eager on the trigger than I am.”

“I didn’t _wander aimlessly_. I asked one-a the blokes you work wiff and they sent me here.”

Merlin wished in that moment that he had hair just so he could pull it out. He was sat in his office arguing with some twenty-something while he was trying to help multiple agents save the world.

Eggsy couldn’t stand the silence, “C’n I stay here for a bit, then? If yer not gonna let me talk to ‘Arry right away?”

Merlin did his best to rein back a frustrated sigh. Just, why today, when he was so close to making a huge break in the mission? He looked over at Eggsy and knew that this was only going to end one way whether he wanted it to or not. “Fine. But you have to do two things for me.”

“Name ‘em, bruv.”

“One: don’t touch any of my things. Hands off _everything_ , clear?” he looked at Eggsy, who nodded, the slightest bit of fear on the boy’s face and Merlin fought the urge to smile at that, “Two: You need to tell me the name of the agent who sent you this way.”

Eggsy shrugged, “Wish I could. Never did get ‘is name,” he paused for a moment, “But ‘e was about yay-high,” he held his hand a couple inches above his own head, “Blonde hair, glasses, and I think ‘is eyes were brown. Hard ta tell though. You lot are all intimidating as fuck ‘nd I jus’ look down at my shoes.”

“Gawain,” Merlin mumbled under his breath. All the agents took unusual joy in disrupting Merlin’s day, which was surprising since he was practically the only thing keeping them alive on missions. But Gawain knew just how much Merlin _loved_ surprise visitors. They would have a serious talk later. Or perhaps it would just come back at an _extremely_ convenient time on a mission.

“So I can stay?”

Merlin sighed, “Like it would matter if I said no.”

Eggsy made good on his promise to not touch anything, although it did get quite tempting after the first hour or so. He kept himself occupied, looking around in wonder at the walls of monitors. It was impressive on its own but what was even more astounding was the implication that the man was able to keep track of them all and knew exactly what was going on with each one at all times. Eggsy wondered how many fuck-ups and accidental orders it took for him to get them all straight. He messed around on his phone to keep from getting too antsy and occasionally watched as Merlin flipped from monitor to monitor, giving orders and important information. Eggsy felt like he was on the set of a spy movie.

“Ay, Merlin?” his eyes were fixed on one of the corner screens.

“What?” his tone was a little curter than he had intended. He was trying to keep one of his men from being driven off the road.

“This one’s just started sayin’ _encryption disabled_ and it’s blinkin’ green.”

Merlin instantly whipped his head around to see if Eggsy was looking at the correct screen. His face showed nothing but relief as he pulled it up on the main monitor, immediately sifting through all the new codes and information he had access to. His fingers flew across the keyboard and Eggsy could only think that if they were in a cartoon there would be flames coming out of them.

As he was typing, suddenly his face dropped. “No, no, no,” he sighed and rested his hands on top of his head. If the man had hair he’d be pulling it out.

“What’s wrong, guv?” Eggsy asked, quietly enough so that if Merlin wanted to he could ignore him.

Which he did. Merlin flipped on the mic, “Galahad, Lancelot, you both with me?”

“What’s the news, Merlin?” Harry’s voice came in over the speakers.

“The news, well, the _good_ news anyway, I got through that wall of encryptions.”

“What’s the bad news?” Roxy asked.

“It landed me in Thompson’s server.”

“What?” Roxy’s fingers flying across a keyboard could be heard in the background.

“At first it led me to Grotevant, but there was something just not right about that, so I got to digging a little further. And that’s when it lead me to Thompson’s.”

She let out a heavy sigh, “Well, that’s certainly a disappointment, although not too much of a surprise, really. He’s been after Grotevant’s job for a while now, apparently.”

Merlin chuckled, “It’s amazing what you can learn at the water cooler,” he took a breath and let his tone grow serious again, “Looks like you’re going to have to kill your young suitor, Lancelot,” Merlin began looking through all the records that were available on Samuel Thompson, which he quickly found out wasn’t much. “He asked you out for a drink, you said?”

She groaned, “Yes,” she wanted to ask why but she knew exactly what Merlin’s answer would be. “Is this going to be a honeypot mission now?”

“Not exactly,” Merlin began running a more extensive search on Thompson, “just get close enough to kill him.”

Roxy rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep herself from smiling at Merlin's occasional flare for dramatics. She always joked that he'd been behind the computer too long and had some pent-up energy that he needed to release. But she appreciated the fact that he had enough faith in her to say things like that, because if he said those things to some of the other agents they'd take it quite literally. With Roxy however, there was a level of trust that she would only take things as far as absolutely necessary. She gave an exaggerated sigh, "I'm not going to raise my kill stats just because your Cabin Fever is at an all-time high, Merlin."

"I bet Galahad would," he replied cheekily.

She laughed, "Yes, well, unlike Galahad, I'm not your work boyfriend."

Eggsy choked back laughter and Merlin shot him a look before turning back to the microphone, "You two will handle the situation, yes?"

There was a palpable amusement in her voice, "Oh, come on now, don't get grumpy on me. But yes, we'll handle it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Merlin/Eggsy dynamic to come in the next chapter because yes. ^.^


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been _eons_ since my last update. My apologies for that. I haven't really been in a stable enough mind to get any writing done, but I'm back on track now so hopefully updates on all my stories will come a bit more regularly!
> 
> Anywho, have some more Eggsy and Merlin. Hope it was at leasy kind of worth the wait. xox

As the conversation was winding down, Eggsy was just one step below tugging at Merlin’s shirt sleeve like a child. His big green eyes were _pleading_ to talk to Harry. The boy’s chair casually moved closer and closer, encroaching on Merlin’s personal space, something he wasn’t exactly a fan of. He cast Eggsy a look as he placed his hand over the mic, “Yes?”

Eggsy shrugged and looked down at the floor, “You said I could talk to ‘Arry.”

“When he’s done with his work, yes.”

“Well ‘e’s been talkin’ ta you this whole time so he can’t be workin’ _that_ hard,” he huffed impatiently.

Merlin sighed. He knew that it was impressive that Eggsy had been as quiet and cooperative as he’d been that day. In all honesty Merlin expected him to up and leave shortly after being told to sit down, shut up, and not touch anything. And as he sat there and watched Eggsy pick at the seams of his jeans, he had the slightest bit of understanding as to why Harry was so willing to bend the rules for this kid. He was hard to _truly_ dislike, even if Merlin found him infinitely frustrating and annoying on a very superficial level.

He took his hand off the microphone, “Galahad, there’s someone here who would like a word with you,” he couldn’t help but to smile a tad as he saw Eggsy’s face light up.

“Oh? Well, put them through then.”

“Ay, ‘Arry,” Eggsy’s voice was a little quieter than he had meant for it to be, slightly nervous with Merlin’s presence.

“Eggsy? Is that you? My dear boy, what are you doing at Headquarters? Is everything alright?”

“Well, that’s kinda why I came down here. I ‘ad no idea if everythin’ was alright. Haven’t heard from you in almost two weeks, bruv.”

“I’m sorry, Eggsy. I just couldn’t with the way things are here. If I called you there’s no knowing what might’ve happened.”

“It’s aight,” his voice was softer than normal, “just wanted ta know that nothin’ went wrong.”

Harry chuckled, “Well, nothing is particularly going _right_ , but Roxy and I are both safe. You don’t have to worry.”

“Fergive me if I don’ quite take yer word for it,” he laughed.

“Are you alright? Staying out of trouble?”

Eggsy smiled to himself, “Unlike you, I c’n handle myself on my own for a couple-a weeks. Basides, I got this more’n under control. Got inta Merlin’s without ‘im even noticing,” he shot a cheeky grin to the man standing a little ways away from him.

“Oh is that so?” the amusement was nearly palpable in Harry’s voice.

“Alright,” Merlin stepped forward and made a motion to Eggsy to let him know his chat with Harry was at its end, “Wrap this up, you two. Harry, you still have work to do.”

Eggsy’s tone lost its playfulness, “You know when yer gonna be home again?”

Harry took a deep breath, “I wish I did, Eggsy. I really wish that I did.”

 

As the next couple of days passed, Merlin found that Eggsy made himself more or less a permanent fixture in the office. He’d show up late morning and camp out, watching monitors and alerting Merlin when something changed or seemed kind of out of place, not that the boy could ever be completely certain since he had a limited scope of knowledge of everything. He’d step out to grab lunch and he started bringing Merlin things as well when he realized that he never really saw the man eat. On late nights, which there were a few of on Eggsy’s end just because he wanted the chance to talk to Harry, the boy would make two cups of coffee instead of just one. Merlin would tell him to not, that he didn’t want liquid near his prized setup, but the scent of whatever flavoring Eggsy put in would be too enticing and within the next five minutes the man would roll his chair down to the far end of the stretch and take his mug, mumbling a thank you to Eggsy as he went back to whatever it was that he had been doing.

Eggsy was smart, and Merlin was beginning to realize just how much intelligence was trapped inside the young boy’s head. He let Eggsy stay around a first simply because he wanted to know why Harry thought the kid was so damn special, but it only took a day or two for it to morph into a general appreciation of having the young man around. It got to the point where he didn’t need to pull 180’s in his chair to check monitors because Eggsy could report back what was going on if an alarm sounded or anything changed. Merlin was glad of the help, not thinking that his respite would come in the form of someone like Eggsy. He got so used to it, that one particularly late night during the week, one of the monitors started to sound off, and when Eggsy didn’t speak up, it took Merlin a moment to actually address the issue.

“Eggsy, what’s going on?” he was met with silence and he turned around, “Eggsy, for Christ’s sake what’s the moni-” he stopped short as he saw Eggsy curled up in his chair, arm dangling and head hardly rested on the back of the seat as he slept.

Merlin smiled and shook his head as he walked to the closet on the far end of the room, kneeling down to grab a blanket from the bottom shelf. He carefully draped it over Eggsy, careful not to disturb the boy who looked quite at peace. Merlin hadn’t expected that, since as he saw Eggsy more and more often, he noticed the growing exhaustion on his face. He wondered if Eggsy got any sleep at all with Harry gone.

“You’re going to owe that young lad when you get back, Galahad.”

Harry chuckled, “What makes you say that?”

“He’s hardly left HQ since the first time he stopped in. He only ever went home to rest, and tonight it seems as though he’s not even doing that.”

“He fall asleep in your office?”

Merlin didn’t give a verbal answer, instead switching the feed on his glasses as he turned so that Eggsy was within the frame of the lens, streaming straight to Harry’s end. Harry’s chest warmed at the sight of the boy curled up and wrapped in blankets. He couldn’t wait to be home again.

“Thank you for taking care of him, Merlin.”

“He’s been taking care of me,” he chuckled, “He’s quite the helping hand, I must admit.”

“He’s grown on you?”

“Still needs some fine-tuning,” he kept his voice as neutral as possible, not wanting Harry to get carried away. He cleared his throat, “Anyway, how’s Lancelot coming along with our target?”

“Going out to dinner with him again tonight, Merlin,” Roxy’s voice piped in.

“Great. You think you can get a confession out of him?”

“You know what they say about the third date, Merlin,” he could hear the laughter in her voice.

He sighed, still finding it to be uncomfortable when any of the younger agents made comments like that, “Right, well, I’ll stay out of your hair, then,” there was a click and Merlin’s mic was off.

 

Roxy’s laughter filled the hallway of the hotel as she led Sam to the room. She swayed ever so slightly as she kept her hand in his, giggling just enough to give the illusion that she was drunk. She leaned back against the door and smiled, pulling him closer and resting her hands behind his neck. He leaned down and kissed her on the lips, softly at first but when she reached up and ran her fingers back through his hair, he wrapped his arm tight around her waist and pulled her flush against him.

She backed out of their kiss, “Do you wanna come in?” she smirked up at him.

He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, “I’d love to.”

Roxy spun around to unlock the door, smiling slightly as Sam kept his one hand rested on her waist. She wished that he wasn’t a criminal, because other than that he was really quite the charming individual.

The door swung open and Roxy let out a silent sigh of relief at the fact that Harry had hidden all of his things away, giving the illusion that Roxy had the entire room to herself. Sam chuckled, “They got you put up pretty nice here, don’t they?”

She laughed as she took her heels off, “I certainly can’t complain,” she turned back to Sam, who was standing awkwardly by the door, one hand tucked in his pocket. She smiled at him, “Take your coat off, stay awhile.”

Merlin’s voice piped up, “While I’m sure that the lad is perfectly charming and a lovely date, remember that you have a mission, here.”

Roxy fought the urge to let out a sigh of irritation at Merlin’s comment. Instead she told herself she’d address it with him at a later date. She knelt down and pulled a bottle of wine out of the mini-fridge, and swiped up two glasses. She turned back to Sam, the bottom of her dress flourishing as she did, “Care for one?”

He smiled as he reached to take the glass, “How could I say no to you?”

After half a bottle of wine, and a little bit of sweet-talking, and Roxy had Sam right where she needed him: totally vulnerable. She set her wine glass down on the nightstand and moved closer to him, effortlessly taking the glass out of his hand and setting it next to hers. He smiled as she cupped the side of his face in one hand and pulled him into a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and easily shifted her so she was straddling him. She smiled as his hand slid up her thigh. She reached back and pulled the pin out of her hair, letting it cascade down past her shoulders. The pin was still between her fingers as she ran them through his hair, trailing down the side of his face. She opened her eyes slightly so she knew he couldn’t see what she was about to do, and once she was sure, she pricked the vein in his neck with it.

Before he could even ask what she’d just done, everything went blurry and he fell back limp against the pillows, completely unconscious.

“Didn’t think that would be so effective,” she mumbled to Merlin as she hopped off the bed, fixing her dress and her hair.

“The drug or your techniques?”

She stifled a laugh, “Very funny, Merlin. Do you know when the effects will wear off?”

“It’s just getting out of the testing phase, so I can’t give you a definite answer. But a dosage that small he’ll be up within the hour.”

She let out a deep breath, “Alright. I’ll update Galahad and we’ll keep you posted on the situation as we go along.”

“Sounds fine to me. Good work, Lancelot.”

“Thank you, Merlin.”

Merlin shut his mic off with a click and turned back to Eggsy, who was sitting there absolutely bewildered at what he’d just witnessed. His only interaction with Kingsman missions involved guns and shooting and a whole lot of anger. Roxy seemed so calm and collected, and certainly it was a much quieter operation than what he had been through and seen.

“You alright, lad?” Merlin couldn’t quite discern the look on Eggsy’s face.

“Yea, yea ‘m alright. I just, I dunno, I din’t think that you all did things like that.”

He couldn’t hide his confusion, “Things like what?”

“Like, things so low-key, I guess. I dunno, I thought you lot always had your guns blazing an’ shit like that.”

He chuckled, “We normally don’t handle situations in that way. Normally we try to keep ourselves under the radar as much as possible. But the situation with Goodwell was just…different.”

“’Cos’a me?” he sounded worried.

“Not completely. There were plenty of other factors at play, I assure you,” there were a few minutes of silence, “Eggsy, can I ask you something?”

“What’s on yer mind, Guv?”

“Lancelot told me that you had some issues sleeping after everything happened, and you’ve been looking especially haggard these past few days. I just wondered if you’d been getting enough sleep.”

Eggsy shrugged but couldn’t look him in the eye, “It’s just a bit rough sometimes wiff ‘Arry gone. Nothin’ too serious. Nothin’ like it used to be.”

“If it makes you more comfortable, you can stay here. There’s a living quarters here with bedrooms,” even as the words were coming out of Merlin’s mouth he couldn’t believe that he was saying them, “And obviously we allow dogs so you can bring JB as well.”

Eggsy smiled, “Well, neva thought I’d see the day you act’ally want me around.”

Merlin rolled his eyes, “You’ve been helpful and I appreciate that. Don’t get carried away.” 

“Ay, Merlin, I got a question for you.”

“What’s your question?”

“When Rox and ‘Arry get back, does that mean I can’t come down here no more?”

He paused for a moment, knowing he had to be extremely careful about how he answered that question. By all means Eggsy shouldn’t be in Kingsman Headquarters to begin with. If Arthur had shown up in Merlin’s lair for any reason there surely would have been a scene. Any other person could’ve shown up, could’ve broken his way into Merlin’s office and he would’ve sent them off without even bothering to ask why they showed up in the first place because dammit that’s just how things worked. He loved his job and wasn’t really in the mind to compromise it for much of anyone. And yet, even with all of those statements running through his mind, he didn’t really want to tell Eggsy that he couldn’t keep coming into HQ. Honestly Merlin was surprised that Arthur hadn’t seen the young man wandering about, because the other agents had seen him now and again whenever he went to get food or coffee. Perhaps Arthur had seen him and chose not to make a comment about it, although Merlin couldn’t _really_ believe that to be true. He felt like he couldn’t give an answer without consulting someone first.

“I, I’m not sure about that, lad. You really aren’t supposed to be here in the first place.”

“Says who?”

“My boss.”

Eggsy twirled in his chair, “Ain’t this your office though?”

“Yes, but-”

“But what? I ain’t never seen your boss come down here the entire time I’ve been popping in. I don’ think he really gets ta have much say.”

Merlin sighed; he could feel himself starting to be swayed by the boy. No wonder Harry let him get away with so much. Merlin wasn’t even attracted to him and yet he found himself buckling. “We’ll see. When Harry returns we’ll sort it all out.”

 

“Shoulda fuckin’ known,” Sam growled as he was hauled off by two rather large security men.

“Never trust a girl who mixes business with pleasure,” Roxy’s accent was back and she flashed him a wink as he got tossed into the back of a police car.

“Nice work, Lancelot,” Merlin chirped into her ear, “And he doesn’t look too worse for wear.”

“I’m not as much about brute force as some of the other agents, Merlin. You know this. It’s that whole _feminine delicacy_ thing,” the sarcasm was thick in her voice.

“Of course, of course. How could I have forgotten?”

“What’s going to happen to him now?”

“Not our problem. I’ll get you and Galahad on the first plane home tomorrow,” he paused for a moment, “Where is he, anyway? I’ve never known him as one to pass up on an interrogation.”

Roxy laughed, “I asked if he could trust me to handle one on my own for once. I figured it was time.”

“Impressive, he’s usually adamant about that. Alright, go back and pack your things, tell Galahad to do the same.”

“Alright, can do. Lancelot, signing off.”

“Merlin, signing off.”

He turned back around in his chair and caught his breath quickly as he came within centimeters of blasting Eggsy right over. The boy was looking on with an eager expression, “Wha’s gonna happen now?”

Merlin shut down Roxy and Harry’s feeds, “They’ll come home, and I’ll find another mission for each of them.”

“So that’s it? They jus’ leave like nothin’ ever even happened?”

“I told you, Eggsy, that’s what we aim to do here. We want to leave things as we found them, just a bit safer.”

“So they’ll be back tomorrow?”

Merlin fought back a smile, “Late, but yes, they’ll be back tomorrow.”

“If I run home and grab JB, can I stay here tonight?”

He sighed but nodded, knowing that he put the invitation out there and couldn’t take it back now, “I don’t see why not. But you can’t let that dog just roam around, clear?”

Eggsy nodded, “He stays righ’ by me all the time, anyway.”

Merlin shook his head as Eggsy all but bounded out of the room to go back home, “Doesn’t everyone?” he mumbled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking with me on this! You're the best readers an author could ever ask for! :)


	30. Chapter 30

Eggsy strolled into Merlin’s office the next morning, JB at his heels and coffee in his hands. He was about to give one to Merlin, who was looking especially exhausted. Eggsy was going to ask what was happening but as he looked around at the monitors, he knew there were too many flashing red notices for it to be anything good. He set the cup down safely to the side, out of the range where Merlin might accidentally knock it over. He motioned for JB to lie down and then took his seat.

“What do you need done, bruv?”

He shook his head, “I’m afraid you can’t help me with this one, lad.”

“Try me.”

“Do you _actually_ know how to work with encryptions and viruses?”

He shrugged, “A bit, yea.”

Merlin arched an eyebrow, “Really?”

“Aight, well, it ain’t professional or nothin’, certainly can’t put it on my resume. But you do what you gotta do, yea?” he paused, “What’re you blocked out of?”

He motioned for Eggsy to roll his chair over, “It’s not so much as blocked out as shut down. Whoever sent this virus onto our server is cutting me off from the feeds of my agents one by one. I’m losing my eyes on them and I’m sure that soon enough I won’t be able to communicate with them at all.”

“So you can still hear ‘em?”

He nodded, “Yes, and the stream to and from their earpieces is still existent, but spotty. So between that and the lens problems, my usefulness is dropping quite a bit.”

“You trust me?”

“If you fix this I will.”

He nodded towards the door, “Lemme handle it then.”

“You’re asking me to _leave_?”

“Not permanently, just for a bit while I figure out what’s going on.”

“And you can’t do that with me here?”

“I know you hate people touching your stuff. You’ll pitch a right fit if you watch what I’m about ta do.”

With a heavy sigh and a disapproving look, Merlin finally excused himself from the room, grabbing his coffee as he went. When the door clicked shut behind him, Eggsy let out a huge sigh. What he’d done in the past was small fish compared to working with this whole operation. He’d set some viruses loose before, maybe transferred some funds that weren’t his to mess with, but it was always for a reason. Gotta make rent and put food on the table, right? He’d messed with security feeds before to accomplish whatever his goal was at the time back when he was still in it with Dean's goons; this was just like doing that on a larger scale. How hard could it be?

Very hard, it turns out. Incredibly hard. Eggsy had never cussed so much in his life as he did in that stretch of hours. And he couldn’t even _imagine_ what Merlin had been dealing with before he got there, because the man made some serious headway in getting around the codes that were causing the problems, even started some trails to backtrack wherever they were coming from. He paused every now and again to take a few deep breaths, pull at his own hair instead of punching one of the monitors, and then diving right back in again. He didn’t know when he’d picked up as much know-how about it as he did, but it was one of the few things in life that just sort of made sense to him.

After a bit of rewiring (which he would _never_ tell Merlin about), excessive coding and decoding, and a reboot of the entire system, Eggsy figured that he’d give it a shot before going to find Merlin. If it didn’t work, they’d have to figure the rest of it out together, but if it did work, well, problem solved and Merlin could breathe normally for the remainder of the day.

He glanced over all the screens, not having tuned everything back in. He flipped on the mic, “Ay, Gawain, you remember me?” his voice had the slightest tremor to it from the nerves of the whole situation.

“Ah, Merlin’s visitor? Of course! Recognize that accent anywhere.”

“Ha, yea, s’pose you lot would. Anyway, you got your lenses on?”

“No, but I can put them on. Why? Everything alright on that end?”

“We’re about to see,” Eggsy held his breath and waited, and waited, and waited.

“Not what you were looking for?”

“Shit,” he leaned back in his seat and put his hands on the back of his head. He took a deep breath and flipped the mic off just long enough to punch the surface of the desk without blasting the eardrums of the poor agent. Within moments after that, the monitors began to flicker back to life, and Eggsy hadn’t ever felt that much joy and relief surge through him. He reached forward, “Gawain! Bruv! We’re back!”

He laughed, “I don’t know where we went, but congratulations.”

Eggsy leapt out of his chair and bolted to the door, JB jumping up and carrying on behind him as fast as his stubby little legs would take him. Eggsy flung the door open and got all of two steps out of the office before running headlong into Merlin, knocking him back a good few strides.

“What’s wrong?” the worst scenarios were going through the man’s head.

“I did it!” his face was bright as ever, “You’re back online!”

He raised his eyebrows and quickly strode into the room, his heart warming at the sight of all the lit monitors with the agents’ feeds. He turned back to Eggsy, “Do I get to ask how?”

He put his hand on the back of his neck, “Wish I could even _try_ to explain, Guv. 

“Merlin!” Gawain’s voice chimed in from his feed, sounding as amused as ever, “I see you’ve got yourself a little crisis team.”

He sighed, “He’s the only one who’s been any kind of useful these past fourteen hours.”

Eggsy smiled a bit at that. It’d been a long while since anyone called him something remotely close to useful. He cleared his throat, “But um, I couldn’t do nothin’ about finding where the problem started. Sorry ‘bout that, bruv.”

Merlin shook his head as he dismissed Gawain and shut off the mic, “No need to apologize. I can take care of that. I’m still just very impressed that you were able to get through all of this.”

He shrugged, “Fig’red I’d save that shiny ‘ead of yours some worrying, yea?”

“When were you planning on telling me that you actually knew what you were doing around here?”

He scuffed the toe of his shoe on the floor, not wanting to make eye contact, “Didn’t exactly think it was the best way ta win your approval. I ain’t never used my skills to do anything legal. I try not to talk about it,” he fought the urge to add on _especially around people who get after people like me for a living_.

He gave Eggsy’s shoulder a light squeeze, “It’s still very impressive.”

 

Harry slowly and quietly opened the door to the room Eggsy was staying in. The boy was curled up, hand tucked underneath the pillow, fast asleep. JB was curled up on the floor right beneath Eggsy’s head. Harry stood in the doorway for a moment just taking it all in.

He walked in and sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb the dog resting at his feet. He gently rubbed Eggsy’s back, slowly coaxing him out of his sleep. Eggsy forced his eyes open, still heavy and hooded with sleep, “’Arry?” his voice was groggy.

He pressed a kiss to his temple, “I missed you.”

Eggsy propped himself up with one arm, “I missed you too.”

“Has everything been alright?”

He nodded drowsily, “Yea, but I ‘aven’t really been at yer house these past few days,” he yawned, “been stayin’ here.”

Harry ran his fingers through the boy’s hair, “I know, Merlin told me.”

“What time is it?”

“Three-thirty.”

“AM?” when Harry simply nodded in response, Eggsy reached and pulled Harry down completely onto the bed with him, “You might as well stay wiff me, then.”

Harry chuckled as he took his shoes off and slid under the covers, “I suppose so.”

It was a matter of mere minutes before Eggsy’s soft snoring was the only sound in the room. He subconsciously curled closer to Harry, burying his face in the man’s chest. Harry took a deep breath and wraps his arms around him, happy to just be back on familiar ground again. He kissed Eggsy on the top of the head before closing his eyes and getting some sleep.

When Harry came-to the next morning, Eggsy was already up and gone, JB having gone with him. Harry glanced at his phone for the time, and it was already heading for eleven o’clock. He groaned slightly as he sat up, running his fingers back through his hair, which was starting to get a bit unruly. He changed his clothes, brushed his hair and teeth, and then set out to find either Eggsy or Merlin.

He knocked on the door to Merlin’s office, and when he was given the cue to enter, walked through and almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Eggsy was sat at the keyboard right beside Merlin’s and was locked in a debate with the man, using technical jargon that went way over Harry’s head. He spotted the two coffee cups, one on each end of the table. Merlin never brought much food or drinks into his office, let alone so close to his monitor setup. Harry hadn’t really been gone _that_ long, had he?

“Everything alright?”

They both turned and looked at him, a grin spreading across Eggsy’s face as he got up and gave Harry a quick peck on the lips, “Morning, Sleepy Head.”

“Finally get some rest?” Merlin piped up as he kept his eyes trained on the screens in front of him.

“I got enough,” his voice trailed off slightly, “What are you two up to?”

“Your boy is a hacker,” Merlin just about sounded delighted.

Eggsy groaned, “Aight, I’m not a _hacker_. I just know _how_ to hack inta things.”

Harry smiled as Eggsy sat back down again, “This mean you’ll keep him around, Merlin?”

“We’ll need to see about that,” all three men froze as Arthur’s voice rang through the room.

“That your boss?” Eggsy whispered to Merlin.

He nodded but didn’t say anything as he turned back around, facing the man who was probably contemplating terminating his position in that moment. He stood up and cleared his throat, “Good afternoon, Arthur.”

“You can take a seat, Merlin,” his voice didn’t show an emotion either way, “Care to introduce me to our visitor?”

Eggsy stood up, holding his hand out, “I’m Eggsy,” he looked down at the dog sitting by his feet, “an’ that’s JB.”

“I’m Arthur, nice to finally be introduced to you.”

“Finally?” the man’s voice sent pricks up Eggsy's spine, although he couldn’t quite pinpoint why.

“Could you excuse us for a moment?” Arthur’s eyes never left Eggsy’s face.

He felt so awkward and out of place all of a sudden, “Uh, yea, sure,” he scooped up JB and quickly strode out of the room.

When the door shut, Merlin and Harry both let out sighs of exasperation. “You really must learn to rein in that warm, welcoming demeanor of yours, Arthur,” Harry said, “If you’re too kind people might get the wrong idea.”

Arthur wasn’t having any of it, “He’s not supposed to be here. Don’t try to make me the bad guy.”

“Is there something in particular you want to say? Or did you just want to draw attention to your annoyance?”

“I want to know who he is, why he was here in the first place, and why he is _still_ here.”

“He was assisting me with a few technical issues,” Merlin finally spoke up.

“You have an entire department. Have they _all_ proven to be incompetent?”

“He’s been, filling the gaps.”

“And I wasn’t informed of this because…?”

“I, I didn’t expect him to stay.”

“Why not?”

Harry piped in, “Because Merlin didn’t know that he would be showing up,” he took a deep breath, “I gave Eggsy the code to get here while I was gone, just in case something happened and he needed help.”

“Isn’t this the boy from the Grand Goodwell Finale?”

Harry took a deep breath, “Yes. He also happens to be my neighbor,” he felt Merlin all but glaring at him, “and my boyfriend.”

Arthur’s expression softened the slightest bit, “Ah, well, that makes much more sense,” he took a deep breath, “But it still doesn’t excuse the fact that no one told me that he was frequenting here. He now knows more than he should about our operations. Did either of you care to think about that?”

They knew it was a rhetorical question, so they kept their mouths shut as he continued to professionally and eloquently rip into them about how they’d managed to break dozens of rules and protocols all over this one kid. He told them there was no need, no good reason to leave him as involved as he was and that they had no right to be conducting themselves the way they were.

“You should’ve wiped his memory a long time ago,” he sighed heavily.

“No,” Harry’s voice was firm.

“Excuse me?”

“No. What do you mean we _should’ve_ wiped his brain? It was his choice. It’s _always_ been a choice in situations like that. Just because normally people _choose_ to have it wiped away doesn’t mean that gives us grounds to start forcing that on people.”

“Forgive me, Galahad, but I think your emotional involvement is coming into play.”

Harry grit his teeth, and just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, there was a knock at the door. The three of them looked back and forth between each other. Harry shook his head, “I doubt it’s Eggsy.”

“It’s definitely not,” Merlin spoke up, “The boy never knocks,” he took a steadying breath, “Come in!”

Roxy came through the door, calm as could be. “Everything alright in here, boys? I ran into Eggsy and he seemed a bit rattled.”

Arthur sighed, “So you knew about this too, Lancelot?”

“Knew about what? The fact we allowed Eggsy to come here for the sake of his sanity so he didn’t fly off the handle, hurt someone, and potentially expose our entire operation? Yes, yes I had full knowledge of that.”

Harry and Merlin stood there, mouths agape. Roxy had always had a cool demeanor about her in tense situations, but neither of them expected her to direct that towards their boss, especially in a situation like the one at hand, one that didn’t particularly involve her at all. They waited anxiously to see how Arthur would respond.

He took a deep breath and shook his head, “We’ll finish this discussion later. If you’ll excuse me…”

“Why wait?” Roxy spoke up, “You’ll have to have it eventually, and he’ll keep coming around until you tell him that he can’t. So we might as well get this sorted.”

“We?” there was a hint of shock in Arthur’s voice.

“Yes, _we_ ,” she shrugged, “I don’t particularly mind him. He’s a bit of fresh air around here, Arthur. If he’s being productive I don’t see why he can’t stay.”

“Because that’s not how it works here, Lancelot.”

Merlin cut in, “I could use another hand around here. He certainly knows his way around the servers.”

“And that doesn’t seem concerning to you at all given his lack of formal education?”

“Then think of it as letting him use his powers for good.”

Arthur looked over at Harry, “Galahad, your input?”

“I thought my _emotional involvement_ meant that I couldn’t have any opinions at all, let alone what happens to my boyfriend.”

He sighed, not quite believing that three of his agents were all arguing with him over something as trivial as some kid off the street. It certainly wasn’t what he had been expecting to deal with when he walked into that room. He was beginning to get the feeling that there wouldn’t be any winning for him.

“He can stay,” Arthur finally said, “until further notice. We’ll discuss it further at another time. If it’s still an issue, if we still can’t come to an agreement, we’ll ask the other agents what they feel should be done. Are we clear?”

All three of them nodded but didn’t say a word. Their boss nodded, “Good. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” he headed for the door.

Once silence took over the room again, Roxy finally spoke up, “Well, if he’s going to drag the other knights into this, we’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“How do you figure?” Harry asked.

She shrugged, “People here like him, Harry. You of all people shouldn’t find that surprising,” she looked back and forth between them, “Well, I’m going to go get him. I told him I’d stop in here and figure out what was going on.”

Eggsy all but burst through the door, Roxy following a few steps behind, “I din’t get you both in trouble, did I?” he turned to Harry, “I’m so sorry ‘Arry. I wasn’t thinkin’ an’ I just kept comin’ around. I just, I liked it here I’m so sorry.”

It pained Harry to see Eggsy so apologetic and worried, especially when he had seen the boy be so defiant and sure of himself. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for, Eggsy. I was the one who told you to come here,” he hugged him and kissed his forehead, “You don’t have to worry about anything, alright?”

He nodded and his body relaxed slightly. He turned back to Merlin, “I’m sorry, bruv. I was tryna help, but looks like I got you inta a bit of a deep hole yea?”

He shook his head, “Arthur can’t do anything to me,” he chuckled, “I’m the only one around here who knows what’s going on.”

“As overjoyed as I am that we’re all happy and well, and that no one has seemed to have lost their job,” Roxy chimed in, “I think it’d be best for Eggsy and Harry both to go home,” she turned to Merlin with a cheeky smile, “I’d suggest the same for you, but Lord knows you never leave here.”

Harry said a quick goodbye to the Roxy and Merlin, anxious to return home. Eggsy shook Merlin’s hand, told him with a smirk that he’d see him bright and early the next morning. He walked over to Roxy and gave her a hug, “Thanks for stickin’ up for me, Rox.”

When the two of them got home, Harry all but ran up to his room and collapsed down onto the bed, letting the comforter and pillows swallow him. He heard Eggsy’s footsteps on the stairs and soon enough he was lying down on the bed, arms wrapped around the man’s waist and head buried into his chest.

“So,” Eggsy mumbled into Harry’s shirt, “I’m yer boyfriend now?”

Harry sighed, but was smiling, “I didn’t think that would be news to you.”

“Well you never said nothin’.”

He placed a gentle kiss on the top of Eggsy’s head, smirking as he said, “And neither did you, Darling.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Gives Eggsy random awesome skills because why not?* ^.^
> 
> Hope you all liked the chapter. xox


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life and school have been more stressful than usual, hence the delay in update.   
> But here's the thing! Hope you enjoy. xox

Harry’s alarm went off the next morning, and as he reached to turn it off Eggsy let out a groan and wrapped himself completely around Harry’s torso. Harry smiled, “Good morning, Eggsy.”

He groaned again, “Can’t you stay ‘ome?”

“I wish I could. Not all of us are as lucky as you, you know. I’m actually obligated to go to Headquarters.”

“What’re they gonna do if you jus’ _don’t show up_?”

“I really don’t care to find out,” he kissed the top of his head, “You can stay here if you want, catch up on sleep perhaps?”

Eggsy looked up at him, “What’s the point of bein’ here if you’re not?”

Harry idly ran his fingers through Eggsy’s hair, pushing it back out of the boy’s face, “Do you want to go in with me, then?”

He sighed and rolled his eyes, “I _guess_ ,” he cracked a smile as he rolled off to the edge of the bed, “Le’s get goin’ then, yea?”

“Do you just roll out of bed and into HQ?”

“Pretty much, yea.”

Harry shook his head, “Alright, well, you’ll have to wait today, then.”

“Gotta get all dolled up, do ya?” he smirked.

“For those of us who have actual jobs there, yes.”

“Fine,” he smiled, “Go make yerself pretty.”

When Harry came downstairs, he began to wonder just how long he had taken to get ready. As he walked into the kitchen, Eggsy handed him a cup of tea, “Just the way you make it,” he added nonchalantly as he went back to the stove. Harry fought to not let his jaw drop to the floor. He took a cautious sip of his tea, still not totally trusting of anyone else to make it. He smiled, Eggsy was right: it was just like he made it. He wandered over to the counter and swiped up a piece of toast before Eggsy could swat his hand away.  
“So what exactly did you do while I was gone?” Harry asked as he finished stacking dishes into the dishwasher.

Eggsy shrugged as he sat on the counter, “Dunno, just hung out I guess?”

He arched an eyebrow, “You guess? How did _hanging out_ land you in Headquarters long enough for Arthur to take note?”

“D’you wan’ me to stay out for a while?” his face betrayed how worried he was that he’d done something incredibly wrong, “’Cos that’s fine. I don’t want you getting in trouble because of me or nothin’.”

Harry smiled and shook his head, “I’m not in trouble because of you, Eggsy. Don’t you worry about that. Arthur is just, well he’s a bit-”

“Snobbish?” Eggsy offered.

Harry shrugged, “Essentially, yes.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes and mumbled, “Should hang around more, then.”

He rested his hands on the boy’s shoulders, “Now you listen to me, alright? It doesn’t matter what he thinks of you. If you want to continue coming to HQ and helping Merlin, I don’t see why you shouldn’t. And besides,” he gave him a peck on the lips, “it’s not like the other agents are just going to let him boot you out onto the streets at this point.”

Eggsy chuckled, “Yea?”

Harry nodded, “Sounds like you’ve made quite the impression around Headquarters, Dear.”

He gave a nonchalant shrug, “Ain’t that difficult when yer the only one without a suit.”

“Surprised you didn’t just _borrow_ one of those two,” Harry mumbled to himself with a small smile as he grabbed his jacket from the hall closet.

“Ay, I heard that.”

“Heard what?” he grinned and held the door open, “Come on now, time for work.”

They walked into the shop together and Gawain was behind the desk, home from his mission and somehow energized enough for shop detail. He smiled at the both of them, nodding to Harry and giving Eggsy a high five that turned into a quick handshake as the boy walked by. Harry looked on at the two of them, amused at the ease they had with each other. Aside from Roxy, Gawain was the closest to Eggsy in age, only being thirty years old (mentally still in his teens, though). It was probably nice for the both of them to have a more youthful presence around.

The tube ride was filled with Eggsy asking Harry a million questions about what he thought was going to happen to the both of them in regards to Kingsman. Harry didn’t have the heart to say that he hadn’t the slightest clue. He was trying his hardest to be optimistic, but in the back of his mind he knew that Arthur wasn’t ever one to be lenient because of something as trivial as sentimentality.

“Eggsy, I promise,” Harry said as they stepped into the basement of HQ, “the second I know anything, you will be the first person I tell,” he pulled him into a kiss, “alright?”

He nodded, an impish smile crossing his face, “Aight, guess I gotta trust you.”

The two of them stood at an intersection of multiple hallways. Harry sighed, “I need to go meet up with Roxy; she wants to talk to me about one of her upcoming missions. Are you alright to get to Merlin’s on your own?”

He laughed, “Please, ‘Arry. Been doin’ this fer how long now? I think I got the hang of it,” he pulled Harry into a kiss by his tie, “Quit worryin’ and get some work done.”

Harry shook his head as he watched the boy walk away, “Sounding more and more like Merlin every day,” he mumbled to himself with a smile as he fixed his tie.

Eggsy sauntered into Merlin’s office, smiling at the other techs who were filtering in and out with numerous kinds of reports. They’d all come to know Eggsy, even if they hadn’t talked to him personally. A number of them just knew him as the boy who saved Merlin’s ass when Merlin couldn’t save his own. Part of Eggsy told him to clarify that Merlin had done a lot of the work and solved most of them problem, but the other part of him said that it didn’t hurt to have a good reputation seeing as how he might be up for getting kicked out sometime soon. Maybe if he had a whole department on his side _and_ a few of the agents, Arthur would just have to let him stay by majority rule. A kid could dream.

“What’s on the agenda for the day, Guv?”

Merlin slid a file down the table to him, not taking his eyes off the screen in front of him, “You can start by plugging in Lancelot’s and Galahad’s mission reports into the system.”

Eggsy opened up the files and skimmed through them. There was a lot of confidential information sitting in his lap. Granted, everything about Kingsman was technically confidential, but mission reports were pretty high up on the _classified information_ scale. “Um,” he nervously toyed with the corner of the sheet of paper, “you sure I should be the one doin’ this?”

“You doubt your ability to?” he was looking at him now.

He shook his head, “No, no. Not that. Just, I dunno, this seems like pretty sensitive stuff, yea? Just din’t think that given the current, uh, _situation_ that I should be doin’ stuff like this.”

“I told you to stop worrying, didn’t I?”

He rolled his eyes, “Yea. You told me, ‘Arry told me, everyone told me.”

“Then why don’t you listen?”

He sighed, “Aight, fine,” he began putting in the first sheet, “Ay, Merlin?”

“Yes, Eggsy?”

“Umm, jus wonderin’, wouldn’t it be easier if agents just plugged their reports directly inta the system without having us do it?”

“Yes, it would.”

“Then why don’t you guys, um, do it that way?”

“Arthur likes to read the reports first. He’ll black out anything he thinks is irrelevant or feels would be too great of a risk if it got out to the public.”

“Is any of what these guys do okay to get out to the public?”

Merlin chuckled and shook his head, “Your logic is sound, Eggsy. However, you’re not lucky enough to be the one in charge.”

Eggsy’s fingers flew across the keyboard, not even having to look up from his sheet of paper to type, “’Ow’d he even get that job, anyway? I mean, no offense or nothin’ but everyone seems ta have issues with ‘im.”

“A lot of time has passed since he got the job,” Merlin sighed, “When he was appointed Arthur things were much different. He’s not much for change or evolving. We didn’t know that then, however.”

He’d just finished copying over the reports and was about to step out to grab something for lunch when his phone began to ring. He looked down and saw his mother’s picture flash across the screen. It’d been a while since he visited her and Daisy; he’d just been so caught up in everything. He held the phone to his ear, “Hey, Mum.”

“Eggsy!” it was his sister’s voice, bright and cheerful as ever, “I miss you.”

He smiled, his heart melting a bit, “I miss you too, Dais. Been too long since I’ve seen my Number One Girl.”

“Mummy wants to talk to you.”

He chuckled, “Aight, put ‘er on, then.”

“Hey, babe,” there was laughter in her voice.

“Hey Mum, everything alright?”

“Yes, everything is perfectly fine. Daisy and I were just about to head out to lunch, and I just wanted to know if you wanted to come with us? I know you’ve been busy but-”

He didn’t let her finish, “I’d love to, Mum. Where you goin’? That little café you like still open?”

“Yea, that’s where we’re headed.”

“Aight, I’ll meet you there then.”

“Perfect. See you soon. Love you.”

“Love you too,” he hung up and put the phone back in his pocket, turning to Merlin, “I don’ mean ta just leave you but…”

“Family first,” Merlin smiled understandingly, “Go on. I can handle things here. After all, I _do_ have a whole floor of people working for me.”

He chuckled, “If ya find yourself up shit creek, call and I’ll be back.”

 

Eggsy turned the corner of the block and saw his mom and Daisy sitting at one of the outside tables. He hopped over the short, decorative fence bordering the eating area off from the sidewalk, Michelle shaking her head as he did. He walked up behind Daisy’s chair, scooping her up and spinning her around before she managed to wiggle her way into a hug. He kissed the top of her head, “How’s my Daisy?”

“Good!”

He walked over to Michelle’s seat and kissed her on the cheek before taking a seat across the table from the two of them. “How’re things, Mum?”

She nodded as she watched Daisy scribble away on the sheet of scrap paper in front of her, “They’re alright. How’re you though babe? I haven’t really heard from you.”

He nodded, “I know. Sorry ‘bout that. Just got caught up in some things I guess. But I’m doin’ okay.”

“Is everything alright?”

“Yea, yea, everything’s good. Just getting’ into a new flow of things.”

“How are things with Harry?” there was a hint of a smirk on her face.

Eggsy all but beamed at the sound of the man’s name, “Things are good. He just got back from a work trip.”

“Very nice,” she paused and smiled, “When do I get to meet this man who has you so smitten?”

He chuckled, “Dunno. Soon maybe.

She rested her hand on top of his, “Well I’m glad you’re happy, babe.”

“Me too,” he took a deep breath, “How’ve things been with Dean?”

She shrugged, giving a slight nod, “Alright.”

“Mum?”

“Nothing like it used to be, babe. You just, you know how his temper gets sometimes.”

“He hasn’t done nothin’ to you or Daisy, ‘as he?”

She shook her head, “No, no of course not. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t get angry, though.”

“I’m trying to figure out a job, Mum. When I do we might be able to get a place, somewhere away from all that.”

She smiled at him, “No matter what, we’ll figure something out babe. We always do.”

Eggsy looked over at Daisy, who was still coloring away with a huge smile on her face. He didn’t know much about anything, but he knew that he was going to figure something out for the three of them if it was the last thing he did.

When it was time for his mother and Daisy to head back, Eggsy walked with them for a few blocks before finally saying goodbye. He watched the two of them walking away for a few moments, smiling to himself before turning and heading back home.

He walked up the driveway, past Anna’s and Alex’s cars. He swung the door open and called out to see who was actually home. He was answered by Anna’s voice coming from the kitchen. He moseyed back and found her standing at the stove, hair thrown up into a messy bun as she listened to Alex read something to her from a cookbook.

“Ay,” Alex smiled, “nice to see you, Stranger.”

Eggsy chuckled as he sat at the kitchen table, “I know, I know. I ‘aven’t been around. You missin’ be, bruv?”

Alex rolled his eyes dramatically, “Yea, right.”

Anna laughed, “Oh shut up, Alex,” she looked back at Eggsy, “They’ve all missed having you around here. And I’ve had to take over cooking.”

“Ain’t easy bein’ me, is it?” he smirked.

“What’ve you been doing, anyway?” Alex turned the page in the book as he held it for Anna to read.

Eggsy shrugged, “Keepin’ busy,” he paused, “Ay, Anna, c’n I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“Our college offer night classes?”

She nodded, “Of course. Why?”

“Lookin’ to get a job, but I don’ wanna give up school or nothin’.”

Alex smiled to himself, glad that Eggsy liked school and was determined enough to go back for another year. It was also comforting to hear that he wanted to get a real job, rather than doing god knows what for Dean and the like.

“They offer online classes, too,” Anna told him, “I’ve never taken one,” she shrugged, “I need a professor standing in front of me. Those might work better for you though?”

He nodded, his brows furrowing in thought, “I’ll check it all out.”

“What about this job thing, though?” Alex asked as he hopped down off the counter and sat across from Eggsy at the table, “You got something in mind? Or just looking for anythin’?”

Eggsy shook his head, “Nah, a friend-a Harry’s has been lettin’ me kinda pitch in and stuff, and I wanna talk to him about actually gettin’ paid. I like what I’m doin’ there and I think it’d be good to have an actual job. So might as well try and kill two birds with one stone, yea?”

Alex nodded, clearly impressed, “What’s the job?”

Eggsy paused, trying to figure out how to describe it without giving anything away, “Computer and security stuff.”

Alex laughed, “Gonna use your know-how for the greater good now, yea?”

He smiled, “Yea, somethin’ like that.”

“Well that’s good! Let me know how it goes.”

“And lemme know if you’ve got more questions about school. I can help you register so you don’t gotta go on campus to the advisors.”

“Really?”

Anna laughed, “Yea. I hate going there. I’d rather jus’ do it on my own.”

There was the sound of the door shutting, and Jamal’s voice called out for anyone.

“In the kitchen, bruv!” Eggsy called back.

Jamal slid in, a look of excitement on his face, “Look who’s back on the block!” he walked over and gave him a hug, “That’s good shit, mate. How’ve you been?”

Eggsy nodded, “Good, good. Busy.”

Jamal grabbed a water bottle from the fridge, “Yea I figured since you never came around.”

“Unwin’s gonna be a computer wiz!” Alex said with a smile.

Jamal sat down and looked to Eggsy, “No shit?”

Eggsy laughed, “Aight, aight. Don’ go gettin’ excited or nothin’. I’m gonna ask about a job though. Hopefully I’ll get it.”

“I got faith in you, bruv.”

Eggsy smiled, “Thanks.”

He hung around for dinner, having missed being there with everyone all the time. He knew that he wasn’t under any obligation to be at Harry’s all the time anymore just like he wasn’t before Harry had left. But there was something very _right_ about being at Harry’s. He couldn’t quite explain it. It was more than just Harry being there with him. But as he lounged in the living room with the guys and Anna, he suddenly realized how much he’d miss them if he permanently moved out, whether it was with Harry or his mother and Daisy. Even though he’d been gone more often than not, at the back of his mind he knew that he could always come back and collapse down in his room because this place was still his home. If he moved out, sure he could still come back to stay for a few days or whatever, but it wouldn’t be the same.

“You alright, bruv?” Jamal nudged his arm, “You look awful serious over there.”

Eggsy laughed, “Yea, yea, I’m aight. Just zoned out there fer a sec.”

“You stayin’ the night here?”

He thought about it for a moment, and nodded, “Yea, yea, I’m stayin’,” he paused, “Ay, Alex, do I snore?”

He burst out laughing, “Like a fucking _train_. Why?”

Eggsy sighed and shook his head, “Nothin’, no reason.” He wouldn’t ever bring this up to Harry.

As Eggsy was tossing all their beer bottles into the recycling bin, his phone went off. He glanced over at it, smiling at Harry’s name on the screen. He opened the message, “ _Should I wait up for you?_ ”

“ _No, don’t worry about it. I’m stayin at alexs tonight._ ”

As he crawled into bed, he thought about how he was going to talk to Merlin about the whole job thing the next day. After all, he might as well get it over with sooner rather than later, right? He felt bad for skipping out for the entire second half of his day, and perhaps after something like that wouldn’t be the best time to ask for a job. But as he looked down the hall, seeing the light from everyone’s bedroom stream into the hallway from underneath their doors, all those worries were wiped away. Merlin had said it himself, family first. Everything else would fall into place eventually.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit of everything Kingsman in this chapter because why not? ^.^

Eggsy was up early the next morning. The only other person who was awake was Anna, who also had to go to work. She smiled tiredly at him when he walked into the kitchen. He made them each a cup of coffee while she kindly asked about everything that she’d been missing out on.

“Did you ever talk to Harry about that thing I told you to talk to him about?” she smiled as she seated herself up on the counter.

Eggsy laughed and ran his fingers through his still-messy hair, “Yea, I did.”

“And???”

He looked anywhere but directly at her, a huge grin on his face, “I mean, y’know, we’re official I guess.”

“Yes!” she covered her mouth as she laughed, trying to lower her voice again, “Yes, I knew it. I called it. Didn’t I call it?”

He raised his coffee mug, “You called it.”

She beamed at him, “So when’re you going to bring him around here? When’s he gonna meet everybody?”

Eggsy laughed, “That seems ta be the million dollar question lately. I dunno though, Doll. I mean, I guess I’m just kinda nervous.”

“Why? He can’t be _that_ bad, can he?” there was a joking tone to her voice.

Eggsy smiled, “He’s not bad at all. He’s just, he’s different than us, y’know? An’ he’s older.”

Anna shrugged, “Nothin’ wrong with that. Are you happy with him?”

“Well, yea.”

“He treats you right?”

“’Course.”

“Then there’s nothing more to it, Eggsy,” she took one last swig of her coffee and set the cup in the sink, “Now c’mon, I’ve gotta get ready for work and you’ve gotta go get your job.”

“Alright, alright. I’m goin’. Jeeze, Mum.”

She laughed and gave him a playful push towards the stairs, “Toss on some nice clothes, yea? It’s like you’re going for an interview.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes, “You think I got nice clothes?”

“You want me to pick out an outfit for you?” her voice was playful, but the comment alone was enough to kick Eggsy’s ass into gear.

His response was immediate, “I’ll figure something out.” 

And he did. He could’ve easily borrowed clothes from Jamal; it wouldn’t have been the first time. But as he was about to go knock on the boy’s door, he realized that there really wasn’t much of a point. He could show up dressed fit to meet the queen, but it’s not like it would really change anyone’s perception of him. They knew him, and they knew what they’d be getting themselves into by letting him stay around. No amount of dress slacks and ties would change that. He pulled one of his nicer polos out of his closet and grabbed his best pair of jeans. He grabbed his winged Adidas on his way out of his room, simply because he knew that Harry and Merlin both thought they were the most ridiculous pair of shoes they’d ever laid eyes on.

Eggsy and Anna both walked out of the house together. Anna looked over at him, “You need a lift? Like old times?”

He laughed and shook his head, “I’ll be aight. Thanks though.”

“Sure thing. Good luck today, Eggsy. Go get ‘em.”

 

“I’m sorry I have to be the one to tell you this,” Arthur sounded sincerely apologetic, “But I’m afraid Bors is no longer with us.”

Everyone froze; they hadn’t had any idea what the meeting was going to be about when it was called. Bors had been out on a deep cover operation for almost four months by that point, infiltrating an arms ring. Contact had been minimal, as it usually is for those kinds of missions. There was only ever open lines of communication when it was absolutely necessary.

They made their toast, and Arthur gave the order to have new recruits ready and at Headquarters within the next twenty-four hours. They all removed their glasses, and those who were physically in the room got up and made their way out.

“You alright, Lancelot?” Merlin gently put his hand on her arm, “You’re looking a little pale.”

She shivered involuntarily, “I just, I wasn’t expecting that.”

“The first is always the most difficult to deal with,” Merlin remembered his first loss as vividly as the day he’d found out. Perhaps it hit a bit closer to home because it had been his mentor as well. He shook his head slightly to dispel the thoughts, “Are you going to be alright?”

She nodded, “Yes, yes I’ll be fine. I just need a little while to process it all.”

“If you need someone to talk to, you know where my office is.”

“Thank you, Merlin,” there was a soft smile on her face.

He made his way back down to his lair, and as he turned the handle on the door, Harry materialized beside him. Merlin sighed, “It’s a shame.”

“Always is,” Harry shut the door behind the both of them.

“You have your candidate?”

“I wanted your opinion on that, actually.”

“ _My_ opinion? Harry, I haven’t proposed a candidate or even been in the field in,” he paused, his expression faltering for a moment, “a very long time. I’m not sure I’m the one you want to ask.”

“I was thinking perhaps I should ask Eggsy.”

He froze, “I’m not sure that’s the best idea, Harry.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Aside from all the other obvious problems with _you_ sending him in, the lad still goes pale at the _sight_ of a gun. He wouldn’t be able to handle missions, and that’s assuming that he made it through training without a PTSD-induced episode,” he took a deep breath, “I know you mean well, Harry. But you’ve got to take a step back and look at this logically for a minute.”

He sighed, knowing Merlin was completely right. That’s what he’d been afraid of. The risk of the situation wasn’t lost on him, but he’d been hoping that maybe he was just exaggerating because he had a bit more to lose if things went wrong. He looked over at Merlin, “Well, suppose it’s better this way anyhow. He can help you from going under.”  
Merlin smiled and gave a slight nod, “I’ll use any help I can get.”

Harry went to walk out of the office, but as he pulled the door open Eggsy fell in onto him. Harry quickly caught the boy, chuckling as they both stood upright again, fixing their mussed clothing. Once Harry was all readjusted, he took a moment to really _look_ at Eggsy. He smiled as he gave the boy a once over, “Nice to see you in some clothes that fit, Darling,” he rested his hand on his shoulder, tracing his thumb over the polo.

Eggsy smiled, his face turning slightly pink, “Thanks. I mean, not all my clothes c’n be oversized, yea?”

Harry couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, “No, no they can’t,” he kissed Eggsy on the forehead, “Are you coming over tonight?”

He nodded, “Long as it’s alright with you.”

“Of course,” he kissed him quickly on the lips, “I’ll see you later, then.”

Eggsy watched him as he walked out of the room, smiling slightly, “See ya.”

Once the door shut and Eggsy found his way to a chair, Merlin turned to him, “How are we today, Eggsy?”

He nodded, “I’m aight. Yerself?”

Merlin sighed, “In truth, I’ve been better.”

“What’s wrong, bruv?”

“One of our agents was killed. We just found out this morning.”

Eggsy’s jaw dropped, “Shit. I’m so sorry, mate. Anythin’ I c’n do for you? You want to take some time? I can hold down the fort for a bit.”

He smiled, shaking his head, “That’s alright. I appreciate the offer, though. After so many years, you get accustomed to working through it. And besides, there’s no rest for the weary. There will be recruits here tomorrow all testing to fill the position.”

“Already? You waste no time around here.”

“That we don’t. But I’d love some of your assistance around here once the training commences. I’d much rather work with the recruits more often than I have in the past, and if you’re willing to spend a little extra time in here, that just might be possible.”

Eggsy felt his stomach knot; it was now or never. “Act’ally, I’m glad you mentioned that. I’ve been wantin’ to ask you about somethin’ fer a while now.”  
“Oh?”

“Yea. I was jus’ thinkin’ that since I’ve been around here so much and I pretty much know what I’m doin’ at this point, that maybe you’d be up to considerin’ givin’ me a real job here…”

He leaned back in his seat, impressed that Eggsy had guts enough to ask. It wasn’t an outrageous leap, after all he was there practically every day. It’d only be fair. Plus Merlin knew it’d be good for the boy to have something steady to dedicate himself to. However, no good deed goes unpunished, and Merlin knew the final decision about that wouldn’t be up to him.

“I think that sounds like a spectacular idea.”

Eggsy’s face lit up, “Yea?”

He nodded, “Yes. And as much as I wish we could shake on it here and now, we can’t.”

He sighed, “You gotta talk to yer boss, don’t you?”

“Indeed I do. But if we’re getting a new agent I don’t see why we can’t get some new help in the tech department.”

There was a smile on Eggsy’s face, but he couldn’t deny that he lost a lot of faith in the situation as soon as he found out that Arthur was going to be brought into it. “You’ll talk to him, though?”

“Certainly,” his tone was confident.

“Thanks, Guv. I really appreciate it.”

“No need to thank me,” he paused for a few moments, “Would you mind helping me get everything together for the newcomers tomorrow?”

“Sure thing,” he hopped up out of his chair, “Where to?”

 

The work day had long since ended, but Merlin was just beginning to finish up in his office. He’d been through the routine of getting ready for the recruits and planning through the training exercises a million times, and yet it never seemed to get less stressful.

He was walking to his short-term room in HQ to try and get some rest before having to deal with a new batch of frightened, probably self-entitled, group of recruits when he heard another set of footsteps in the hall. He turned and his muscles relaxed when he saw Roxy shuffling down the hall in an oversized sweatshirt and a pair of shorts.

“Lancelot,” he stopped and waited for her to land beside him, “You’re here awful late.”

She shook her head as they made their way down the hall, “I’m not going home tonight.”

“The situation with Bors still have you rattled?”

She nodded, “Yes. And I just, I know who I want for my proposal but I just can’t picture anyone else sitting in that chair at the table.”

“I know,” he placed a hand on her shoulder as they stopped outside her door, “but it’ll be alright. I have faith in you, and whoever you decide to bring here tomorrow.”

She smiled, “I appreciate that,” she took a deep breath, “Well, I’ll let you get some rest. I have to imagine it’s a rarity.”

He shrugged, a smirk playing at his lips, “Just like anything you build a tolerance. Sleep well, Roxy.”

She opened her mouth to make a comment, but thought better of it, “You too, Merlin.”

 

Eggsy was sitting cross-legged on Harry’s bed, typing away on his laptop as he tried to get everything in order for the upcoming semester. Regardless of what Merlin told him about the job, he still intended to be at HQ all the time, so night classes and online courses would still be the most beneficial thing for him. He pulled at the sleeves of the shirt he’d stolen from the room down the hall, rolling them up to it was a makeshift tank top. He refused to get out from under the covers, so that was the next best thing. Harry stood in the doorway between the bedroom and the bathroom for a few moments, smiling at the whole scene. It was something he wouldn’t mind seeing a bit more often. After a long and stressful day like the one he’d had, there was something extremely calming about coming home to see Eggsy.

The next day was going to be hectic, and so were the following months for as long as his recruit was in training. He had faith, as he always did, in his candidate choice. But as years went on it didn’t get any easier to see agents get replaced, no matter how great their replacements may be. There was so much to think about and do, but he was dragged back into the present by the sound of Eggsy’s voice.

“I talked to Merlin today,” he said without looking up from his screen.

“Well I’d imagine you do that every day, Darling,” Harry said with a smirk.

Eggsy looked up at him, trying his best to keep an unamused expression, “D’you wanna know what I talked to ‘im about or no?”

Harry chuckled as he sat down next to Eggsy on the bed, running his hand up and down the boy’s back, “Of course I want to know.”

“I asked him about a job.”

He raised his eyebrows, “A job? Really?”

He nodded, “Yea. Said he’d talk to yer boss about it, but he wouldn’t have no problem with it.”

“Well, that’s quite the news.”

“You alright with this?”

“Of course, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

He shrugged, “I dunno. Just fig’red I’d make sure, yea?”

Harry kissed him on the temple, “I appreciate that,” he idly toyed with the boy’s hair, “But you do realize, Eggsy, that even if I don’t _like_ something that you’re doing or want to do, it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it. You know that, yes?”

He chuckled, “Well, yea. I mean, if it was somethin’ that had nothin’ ta do with you this would be a diff’rent conversation. But that’s where you work.”

“Well, I think it’d be great if you were able to work with him. It’ll be good for him to have a more consistent level of human interaction.”

Eggsy chuckled, shaking his head as he shut his laptop and set it on the nightstand, “You lot are so rough on him.”

“It’s all in good spirits, Eggsy.”

“Be thankful that he gets that,” he smiled as he fell onto the pillow, waiting patiently for Harry to sink down next to him.

Harry pulled the blanket up over himself and slid closer to Eggsy so that their foreheads were touching. He shut his eyes as he wrapped his arms around the boy’s waist, feeling him relax under the slight pressure of his fingertips. Eggsy smirked and leaned in just enough to brush his lips against Harry’s, causing the man to smile and open his eyes ever-so slightly. He moved his hand and gently cupped Eggsy’s face, pulling him into a kiss.

Eggsy snuggled up against him, burying his face in the man’s chest as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Harry kissed the top of the boy’s head and looked up at the ceiling for a few minutes, trying to get his mind to unwind from everything that had happened that day. As Eggsy’s soft snoring began to fill the room, Harry smiled and forced his eyes shut; worrying could wait until morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things will start getting interesting again in the next chapter. xox


	33. Chapter 33

Eggsy was in Merlin’s office bright and early the following morning. He had no idea what was about to be happening over the next stint of time, and it was unnerving but exciting for him. 

The door clicked shut behind him and Merlin spun around in his chair, looking to him with a slightly shocked expression, “Eggsy. You’re here awful early.”

He shrugged as he took a seat, “Seemed like it was a pretty big day today, yea? I mean,” he chuckled, “it’s gotta be important if it’s got both you _and_ Harry a bit riled.”

Merlin let out a small laugh, “Bringing in new recruits always results in everyone being a little worked up. It’s nerve-wracking and, for the field agents who have proposals, there’s an element of competition there.”

“Competition?”

“Yes,” he tapped nervously on his clipboard with his pen, “They all bring someone to test for the position, and they get picked off one or two at a time until there’s just one left.”

“Does the winning recruiter get a raise or somethin’?” Eggsy smirked.

“Aha, no, no, nothing like that. They do get bragging rights for a bit though.”

“’Ow long does that last?”

“Until their recruit goes off on their first mission and inevitably fucks up.”

Eggsy nearly choked on his own laughter, “Lots of faith you got there, bruv.”

“After a while of being in my shoes, you learn to keep your expectations realistic,” he took a deep breath, “Now, since you’re still my right hand for the time being, take these,” he handed him a pair of glasses.

Eggsy took them with a confused look on his face, “I don’ need glasses though, mate.”

“You’ll need these ones if you want to keep working here.”

Eggsy still didn’t quite understand, but he put the lenses on anyway. He nearly jumped out of his chair when he saw how different the world looked. There were little sensors and marks everywhere, and on top of that everything seemed more saturated and clear. He spun around to Merlin, jaw agape.

He smiled, “See? We do have some cool gadgets here. You might just be the next James Bond yet.”

Eggsy laughed, “Nah, I’ll leave that to the pros. But shit like this,” he pointed to the glasses, “this I could handle and get used to.”

“Glad to hear,” he took a deep breath, “Alright, I’m going to go speak with Arthur before the recruits get here. Keep an eye on things while I’m gone?”

Eggsy’s heart dropped into his stomach as he nodded, “Yea, sure thing, Guv.”

Merlin strolled up to Arthur’s office, markedly calm given the situation. A huge part of the boy’s future rested in his hands at that point and yet he didn’t feel unsure. He couldn’t quite grasp why that was. He knocked on the door to Arthur’s, waiting patiently for his cue to enter.

As he opened the door to walk in, another agent was walking out. Merlin nodded politely, “Gawain.”

He returned the favor, “Merlin,” he shut the door softly behind him once he left.

Merlin looked over to Arthur, who politely gestured for the man to take a seat. He removed his glasses as he did. “Arthur, thank you for taking the time to meet with me.”  
“Of course. I assumed it must be important if you want to talk to me on one of your busiest days.”

Merlin sighed, letting out a tired chuckle, as though every day wasn’t his busiest day, “Yes, yes it’s going to be a hectic couple of days while everyone gets somewhat settled in.”

“What did you want to talk about?”

“I wanted to discuss the situation surrounding Gary Unwin.”

He sighed, “ _That_ is what you wanted to talk about, on today of all days?”

“Yes,” Merlin fought not to let his tone convey just how annoyed he was with Arthur’s reaction, “I think it’s quite the important matter. And personally, I think that if we are getting a new agent, it’s high-time we get new help in the tech department.”

“You can get help in your department whenever you see fit, Merlin.”

“Alright then. So that settles it. I’ll let the lad know he’s got the job.”

“Not so fast,” Arthur spat out before Merlin could make a move to stand out of his seat, “What do you see in that boy? There are a million others who could do exactly what he’s doing.”

“And yet they aren’t.”

“Because they don’t _know_ about it. Just as he shouldn’t.”

“You thought he was going to be involved with Galahad and not find out?”

“I realize that you and Galahad have a bit of an issue keeping your professional and personal lives separate,” he gave Merlin a pointed look to let the barb fully sink in, “But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to encourage it. I want a good reason, actually, I want a few good reasons as to why that boy should stay here besides convenience and proximity.”

Merlin grit his teeth, frustrated with everything about this discussion. It was his department, and Arthur wouldn’t know a thing about it if Merlin gave him a hand-written manual. Still, he took a deep breath and went on a tirade to explain why he wanted to keep the boy around.

“And,” he took a deep breath, “if that’s not enough for you, Arthur, you should trust my word on the matter. I have yet to steer us in the wrong direction,” he fought the urge to say _something you can’t say for yourself_.

Arthur’s face remained expressionless, “Send the boy up.”

He looked at him skeptically, “Why?”

“Because I asked you to.”

As Eggsy made his way through the halls of Kinsgman Headquarters, every wrong thing that he’d ever done in his life was running through his head. He knew that one day it’d all catch up to him, and he figured he’d cross that bridge when he got to it. But he never thought that it would be impacting something as important as this. He thought maybe it’d keep him from getting into college at first, or maybe a few potential starter jobs would decide he really wasn’t a proper fit, but this was something else entirely. This was something that could potentially turn his life around in every sense. And with each stride he felt it slipping farther and farther away. Even though Merlin had said it didn’t necessarily mean something bad was about to happen, Eggsy could sense the man’s anxiety and that made him anxious as well. As he raised his hand to knock on Arthur’s door, every name that had ever been shouted at him was battering his skull.

“Come in.”

Eggsy took a deep breath and opened the door. He stepped in and shut it quietly behind him. He stood just inside the doorway, hands tucked behind his back and glasses perched on top of his head as he waited for Arthur to give him some kind of direction.

“Take a seat,” he motioned to the chair in front of his desk.

Eggsy sat down, nervously twisting his hands in his lap, “Merlin said you wanted to speak to me, Sir.”

He nodded, “I do want to speak to you.”

“About what?” he was trying his hardest not only to hide his nerves, but to sound as composed as Harry and Merlin and the rest of the agents seemed to.

“Merlin says that he wants you to come on with him full-time,” he paused and looked at Eggsy, “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

“Honestly, Guv? I think it’s a better idea than me being out there running around with Roxy and Gawain and all them. I know what I’m doin’ when I’m working with Merlin. That’s work I understand and feel confident doing.”

“And why is that?”

“Because working with computers and technology is pretty cut and dry, yea?” he gave a semi-forced laugh, “And unless some Terminator shit starts happening, the computers aren’t gonna try an’ kill me.”

Arthur chuckled, “Alright, that’s a fair enough point. So you wouldn’t ever want to work in the field?”

Eggsy nervously cleared his throat, feeling fidgety at the mere thought of it, “Um, no ‘ffence, Guv, but I think the idea of that has kinda been ruined fer me.”

He nodded understandingly, “I see, I see,” he paused, taking a deep breath, “Now, Eggsy, of the many hesitations I have concerning you working here, one of them is the fact that I really don’t believe that you have any prior credentials for a job like this.”

The comment made Eggsy’s face heat up, “Oh, an’ all these other agents do?” he knew he shouldn’t let his annoyance show at a time like this but he’d had just about enough of the man’s condescension, “’Cos by the sounds of it yer guys go pluck kids right off the street and drag ‘em inta this. So don’ talk to me about _credentials_ , Arthur. Basides, what’d you even do before this?”

Arthur gave a smug grin, intrigued by the fire in the boy’s eyes. He knew that that was going to be what set him apart, but also what would make him extremely difficult to work with, “I was a professor at a university in France.”

He scoffed, “Oh, what, and so _that_ served as a credential? That was good enough to get you a seat at the top of the food chain around here, yea?”

“I don’t think you can quite compare the two situations.”

He shook his head adamantly, “You definitely got no right to be tellin’ me I don’t have what it takes for this. Don’ forget where you started, bruv, ‘cause it sure as Hell wasn’t here,” he took a deep breath, “And besides, I’ve been doin’ this job for a bit now anyway, not that I’d expect you ta really know since I never see you down there. It’s not like I’d be walking in tomorrow and not havin’ a clue.”

“Before you go any farther on this rant, Eggsy, I need to make something painstakingly clear to you: if you think you’re going to get away with mouthing off like that on a consistent basis, you are sadly mistaken. The other agents might tolerate it, or perhaps even encourage it, but I on the other hand have absolutely no use for that kind of behavior amongst the agents here. It’s a team, and it’s best you treat it like that.”

Eggsy literally bit his tongue. He knew better than to mouth off like that. Honestly, if living with Dean hadn’t refined that skill nothing else ever would. He was so out of practice with it, and he was just so driven about the whole situation and he let his emotions get in the way of it. He knew that he should just say that, tell Arthur he was sorry but he just really wanted this job and hated the fact that he was being thought inadequate for it, but he couldn’t get the words from his brain to his mouth.

“I’m, I’m sorry, Sir. I jus’, I really wanna do this. I ‘aven’t ever wanted something this badly,” he knew he didn’t sound collected or overly intelligent in that moment, but he had to hope his honesty would be enough.

Arthur took a deep breath, “Alright, Eggsy. Seeing as how I’ve had two agents come to me about this today, I’m going to say that you have the job.”

Eggsy felt a huge weight lift off his chest, “Really? Arthur, thank you. I swear you won’ regr-”

“ _For now_ , Eggsy. You have the job _for now_. In light of recent events I’m going to say that you’re on probation for the next month. One toe out of line and you’re being sent home with no memory of anything that’s happened here. Are we quite clear?”

He swallowed hard and nodded, “Clear as day, Sir.”

“Alright then,” he stood and held his hand out.

Eggsy gladly shook his hand, “Thank you, Sir.”

He nodded, “You’re dismissed, Eggsy.”

The boy all but ran out of the room. Once the door to Arthur’s office shut behind him, he let out an audible sigh of relief. His legs felt like Jell-O and he wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to walk back down to Merlin’s, let alone make it through the rest of the day without fainting at shock at what had happened.

He slowly pushed open the door to Merlin’s office, and the man quickly spun around in his chair, looking at Eggsy expectantly, “How’d it go, lad?” Merlin tried to sound confident but he couldn’t ignore the fact that Eggsy was white as a ghost.

“I, I,” he took a deep breath and finally looked him in the eye, “I’m on yer team now, Guv.”

His face broke out into a smile, and he got out of his chair, grasping the boy’s hand in one of his own as he placed the other on his shoulder, “Congratulations, Eggsy. Welcome aboard, officially.”

He laughed as he collapsed into his seat, running his fingers back through his hair. He wanted to tell Merlin about everything that had gone on in that brief meeting, but he also figured that he’d get slapped for how he handled things. Eggsy knew that he’d been in the wrong a few times, so he figured it wouldn’t hurt to keep those things to himself. He still had one question, though.

“Ay, Merlin, c’n I ask you somethin’?”

“Certainly,” he continued typing away, “What’s on your mind?”

“Did you send somebody else up there to talk to Arthur ‘bout me?”

He paused, “No, no I didn’t. Why do you ask?”

He shrugged, “Arthur said that two agents came and talked to him about me. I fig’red one of them was you. Din’t know if you sent someone else there to vouch for me.”

“I’m afraid not. Although thinking back on it that would’ve been a smart thing to do.”

Eggsy smiled to himself as he copied over mission reports into the system, “Looks like there’s at least one other person who wants me ‘round, yea?”

 

“Alright,” Merlin stood stoically, the way he always did when first setting into the new recruits, “Fall out,” he turned and calmly walked out of the room. Something about seeing the fear flash across their faces would never get old no matter how many times he did it. For the most part, it was a momentary thing and they would recover themselves quickly, knowing that everything they did was being put under scrutiny. But there were always one or two recruits that didn’t hide the fact that the whole situation sounded absolutely mental. After all, it did.

He strolled into the viewing room behind the two-way mirror. The first interactions between the proposals were always extremely telling. He remembered when Roxy’s batch was first dismissed. From the start he hadn’t liked Charlie, and it was no wonder that he was Arthur’s proposal. And Merlin couldn’t believe the boy made it as far as he did, but he’d never been so glad to see someone get sent home, and in such an undignified manner at that.

There didn’t seem to be any who stood out in the way that Charlie and his two friends did. Although Merlin found it interesting to see which people kept more to themselves, and who dove right into making friends and allies. There was always the internal conflict of, “I want to get along with these people but I don’t want to become too close because I want them to go home before me.” He knew the struggle of that, he remembered it well. It was then that he first realized that being professional, for him, was going to be one of his biggest obstacles.

“Ay, Guv,” Eggsy kicked the door shut behind him, “You…called? Is that what ya say when you’re talkin’ about communicatin’ with these things?”

Merlin chuckled, “Yes, you can say called. That will work just fine. I wanted you to see the proposals.”

“Ah, the fresh meat, yea?”

“Yes.”

Eggsy looked at them all, and his stomach formed into the slightest bit of a knot. The fact that Arthur thought about him being in the field, going through training with the likes of these people, it’s like the man wanted to see him suffer. Eggsy was smart and deft as all Hell, but he couldn’t measure up to the standard all these kids looked like they were raised in. He’d stick out like a sore thumb.

“So, each agent brings someone in, you said?” he looked to Merlin, and when the man nodded, he turned back and looked at each recruit, “Who was Harry’s proposal?”

“Almost you.”

“ _What_?”

Merlin nodded, “Aye, he wanted to send you in for this,” he paused, wondering for a moment how Eggsy would react to what he was about to say, “Hope you don’t mind that I advised him against it.”

“Thank you,” Eggsy clapped the man on the back, “’Cos I woulda hated tellin’ him no.”

Merlin knew better than to ask about it. Instead he answered the boy’s previous question, “See the young lad talking to the girl with the red hair? That’s his proposal. The girl is Lancelot’s.”

“How do they choose?”

“If I remember correctly, Harry had been keeping tabs on that boy for a while now. His father had been a friend of Harry’s, and when the boy went into the Navy, Harry made it his business to keep track just in case of this particular occasion. Lancelot’s girl is a distant cousin of some sort I believe. Roxy, a few years ago, had talked the girl into doing a two-year stint in the Army. But there’s no official process for choosing a proposal. It’s just whoever you think would fare well in our line of work.”

“Is military training necessary fer this?”

“No, not exactly. I remember yo -” he stopped himself short, “There have been some in the past who hadn’t any training whatsoever, but once they were in they used different military branches as their covers to their families.”

“Now that ain’t a bad idea,” Eggsy nodded, “Would explain the injuries and travel and everythin’ way better than sayin’ you got a job at a tailor shop,” rolling his eyes as he thought back on his numerous conversations with Harry before everything happened.

Merlin handed him a stack of files, “I need you to take these and plug them into the system. You’re going to become awfully familiar with the recruits over these next few weeks.”

“Do I get ta go and scare them like you do?”

Merlin arched his eyebrow, “Of course not.” Eggsy’s expression faltered a bit, causing Merlin to chuckle, “One of us has to be nice to them. I think you’re a bit better suited for it,” he placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder as he went to go back to the office, “But you’re only allowed around them when I say.”

“Alright. You just tell me when, Guv,” Eggsy winked and walked out of the room, ready to spend the rest of the day in the lair as an official Kingsman Tech Agent.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter but lots happens, and I know I've been neglecting this but life has been thwarting my writing efforts at every turn. :p

“Ay, Love,” Eggsy strolled into the kitchen late one night, giving Harry a peck on the cheek as he walked by him to get a drink.

The recruits had been training for a little over a week, and Eggsy hadn’t yet gotten the okay from Merlin to really talk to them. He’d walked through their room and passed them in the halls a few times, but Merlin said that once things started getting tenser, Eggsy could step in. He said it’d be good for them to have someone as loose and calm as him around.

“Eggsy,” Harry smiled, “How was work?”

He chuckled, “Good! Your boy seems to be holding up well.”

“Well, I’d expect nothing less.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes with a smile, “Mhm, right. Anyway, I talked to my mum today.”

“Is everything alright?”

“Yea, yea, everything’s good. She invited us over for dinner tomorrow.”

Harry felt the feeling disappear from his legs. He swallowed hard and fought not to let his anxiety shine through, “Tomorrow?”

Eggsy nodded as he sat down at the counter across from him, “Yea. An’ I know it’s short notice, but with training goin’ on it’s not like yer goin’ off anywhere. So I told her we’d be there.”

“Eggsy, I really don’t think it’s the best id-”

He cut him off, “Oh, c’mon, Love. She’s _dyin’_ ta meet you. An’ I really want you ta meet her too. Dean ain’t gonna be around so it’ll be a nice night,” he was beaming, “We c’n leave right from work.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose; this certainly wasn’t what he was expecting to have to deal with, at least not any time soon. He knew that trying to weasel his way out of it wasn’t ever going to work. Eggsy was as persistent as he ever was, and when it came to family, his word was all but law. He wanted to tell Eggsy why he wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about going over to his mother’s but he couldn’t find the right words to explain the situation. He’d left it untouched for so long, that at this point it would be like reopening an old wound.

“Sound good, ‘Arry?” Eggsy took another sip of his drink.

He forced a halfway convincing smile, “Sounds lovely.”

Eggsy knew him too well to be fooled, “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head, “It’s nothing, Darling, just wasn’t expecting that is all.”

“We’ve been tagether fer how long now? Honestly I’m surprised she hasn’t just come and busted down your door,” he smiled and rested his hands on top of Harry’s, “If yer nervous about meeting her, don’t be. I’ve told her nothin’ but good things about you. She’ll love you.”

 

Eggsy was just about to head into the room the recruits were staying in with a new form for them to study for their next exam, when he heard the sounds of a heated argument coming through the door. He wondered if he should call Merlin or not. If it was a simple enough matter, Eggsy figured he could handle it himself.

He swung open the door, “Ay,” he kept his voice a little lower than normal, still a little afraid that he was stepping out of line, “what’s goin’ on in-”

“What you can start doing is leaving me the fuck alone!” Roxy’s recruit, Rebecca, was standing toe-to-toe with Arthur’s recruit (whose name Eggsy had never really taken the time to learn), and her dog, a rather large by that point German Shepard, was at her heels with the hair on his back standing straight up.

He raised his voice a little louder this time, “ _Ay_ ,” that got both of them to look over at him, “There a problem here?”

The boy rolled his eyes, “She’s just being a prat.”

Eggsy looked at her, “Rebecca, what’s going on?”

She motioned for her dog to heel and crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head, “Nothing. Forget about it.”

Eggsy wasn’t convinced in the slightest. He turned back to the boy, “Ay, what’s your name again?”

He looked thoroughly offended, “My name’s Bryan. How do you not kn-”

“Bryan,” Eggsy cut him off, “Yer dismissed. Go find the other recruits.” Once he was out of the room, Eggsy looked at Rebecca, his expression much kinder, “What happened?”

She shook her head, “Nothing that I wasn’t prepared for.”

“Hey,” he gently touched her shoulder, “if he, or any of the recruits for that matter, are harassing you or hurting you, tell me or tell Merlin. Their ass will get sent right back home to their mum and dad’s, yea? We got no use fer that shit around here.”

She smiled, her body more relaxed, “Thanks, I appreciate it,” she paused, “You know, none of us ever got your name.”

He winked, “’Tween you an’ me, aight?” he held out his hand, “I’m Eggsy.”

“Nice to meet you, Eggsy,” she sighed, “Is it alright if I stay here for a bit?”

He shrugged, “Don’t see why not. Just make sure you get to the meeting on time, yea? Melrin’ll never let you hear the end of it, believe me.”

As he was walking towards the door, he heard her collapse onto the bed and let out an exhausted sigh. He knew a little too well just how awful guys were capable of being to girls like her, or any girl at all for that matter. Hell, he’d spent most of his life trying to run interference for it under his own damn roof. As he stood in the doorway, he looked back at her for a moment. She looked so small curled up on her bed. Granted, she wasn’t even Eggsy’s height, and he was already on the shorter end of the scale, but as she laid there, arm dangling off the edge of her mattress to pet her dog, she seemed almost like a child who’d had too long of a day.

Eggsy made his way back down to Merlin’s office, quietly shutting the door behind him and filing away the spare papers. Without turning in his seat Merlin spoke up, “Recruit problem-solver now, eh?”

Eggsy fought the urge to groan. He took a deep breath and tried to think his response through as much as he could, “I know you told me not to talk to ‘em, but I din’t think it’d be good of me ta just stand back and let it happen.”

“Let what happen, exactly?”

He shrugged, “Beats me. Didn’t look good though.”

“Recruits have issues with each other, lad. That’s the nature of the beast. I know you’ve got a bit of a soft spot for girls,” he tried not to let his implications get construed, “and I sympathize with that, I do. But in here, they’re all equal.”

He gave Merlin a dubious look, “You don’ really believe that, do you?”

“They’re all equal to _me_ , and for the purposes of training, that’s all that matters.”

“So what, I’m just s’posed to stand back an’ let them harass her whenever they feel like it?”

Merlin knew that he wasn’t going to get anywhere with this argument. Eggsy had too many emotions bottled up inside to try and stand back to see group training objectively. “She was fighting back, Eggsy. She’s hardly helpl-”

“That’s not the _point_!”

The two of them waited there in silence. Eggsy knew that he was extremely close to overstepping his boundaries, and he was on thin ice as it was. But by the same token it left a knot in his stomach to be told he just has to take a back seat to everything.

Merlin took a deep breath, “Lads like Bryan don’t last. He’s not worth your job. Why do you think Rebecca said it was nothing? She knows he’s not worth losing her spot here.”

Eggsy felt his face getting hot, and he knew that he needed to get out, even if it was just for a few minutes. He looked at Merlin, “C’n I take an early lunch, Guv?”

He could sense his growing frustration and discomfort. He gave a slight nod, “Be back within a reasonable time frame. I trust you but Arthur doesn’t.”

Eggsy gave a quick nod and all but ran out of the room. He wove his way through the halls and flew up a flight of stairs, not talking to anyone on the way, and landed himself outside of Harry’s office. He took a deep breath, tried to steady his shaking hands, and knocked on the door. Hardly a moment later Harry’s voice gave a very polite but professional cue to enter.

He practically threw the door open. Harry’s face shot up, previously having been glued to his laptop screen, watching some of the footage of his recruit working his way through training sessions. The second that he looked at Eggsy, his face took on a worried expression.

“What happened? You, you don’t look well.”

“I’m not!”

Harry sighed; he knew that tone and he knew that more than anything Eggsy just needed to blow off steam. He got up and carefully shut his office door and sat on the edge of his desk facing Eggsy. He rested his hands in his lap, “What’s going on?”

“Did Rox have to go through Hell in training?”

“All recruits do,” he had an inkling as to where this was going.

“No, I mean,” he ran his fingers through his hair, “Did she get shit ‘cos she’s a girl?”

“Some, yes. Nothing that put her at risk for permanent physical or psychological damage, though,” he took a deep breath, “I take it that Rebecca is having a rough time of things?”

“Why can’t they jus’ get sent home? If they’re gonna be pricks they shouldn’t be workin’ here anyway. You lot are all about bein’ gentlemen and proper and all that, so why d’you put up with that?”

“It’s not like we ignore it, Eggsy.”

“You jus’ don’t do anythin’ to stop it.”

“It’s like part of a character evaluation. It’s the most telling test out of any that they take.”

He shook his head, “I shoulda just let her haul off and knock ‘im on his ass.”

Harry smiled, still in adoration of Eggsy’s candor when it was just the two of them. He stepped forward and placed his hands on the boy’s hips, kissing him on the forehead, “I know it’s frustrating, Darling. It won’t last forever, though. Training is very short in comparison to the time they’ll be an agent.” 

He sighed, leaning his head against Harry’s chest without saying a word while the man wrapped him in a hug. Sometimes that’s all he needed, just some physical comfort and someone to listen to him go off about whatever was upsetting him. It was an underrated thing, having someone listen without offering too much of a response. Harry always knew just what to say, if he needed to say anything at all. Eggsy couldn’t stay angry for too long when they were together, and that was something he truly needed in his life.

He finally stepped back, taking a deep breath and running his hands over his face to try and bring himself back to reality. He offered a lopsided smirk, “Sorry ‘bout that. I just, y’know…”

Harry smiled at him, “You get a bit riled?”

Eggsy laughed, “Yea, a bit,” he shrugged, “Anyway. Enough of that. You ready for dinner at my mum’s tanight?”

Harry’s stomach dropped. “Ready is a bit of a strong word.”

“Oh c’mon, Love. She’s not _that_ scary.”

He smiled weakly, “She is your mother, though.”

“She’ll love you. Y’know how happy she’s been that I’m wiff someone who has their shit together?” Eggsy chuckled, “It’s a first for the both of us.”

Harry smiled, “Well, hopefully she’ll remember that sentiment when she meets me.”

He rolled his eyes, “Can’t believe you’re so nervous,” he sighed, “Well, I should probably get going. Kinda booked out on Merlin before I punched a monitor.”

“Wise choice.”

“I make ‘em every now and again, yea?” he winked before cupping the man’s face in one hand and pulling him into a long kiss, “I’ll be back at the end of the day.”

“Stay out of trouble for me,” Harry smiled softly as Eggsy made his way out the door.

“No promises.”

 

Harry and Eggsy stood on the doorstep to his mother’s flat. Harry had been all but silent on the car ride over. He’d been trying to calm himself as he listened to Eggsy go on about his mother and sister, telling stories about them while simultaneously throwing in reassuring little tidbits to try and soothe Harry’s frayed nerves. No amount of Eggsy’s cooing would help him, though. Harry would only be able to rest when he saw for himself how Michelle handed the situation.

Eggsy slid his hand into Harry’s, “C’mon, Love,” he swung the door open and called into the house, “Ay, Mum, I brought company!”

“Eggsy!” Daisy came running around the corner and jumped for her brother to catch her, which he gladly did and proceeded to swing her around. “I missed you!”

He kissed her on the forehead, “I missed you too, Dais. What’m I s’posed to do without my favorite girl?”

She leaned close to Eggsy’s ear and whispered, rather loudly the way that children do, “Who’s he?”

He smiled at her, “Daisy, this is Harry, that boy I been tellin’ you and Mum about.”

She stared at Harry for a few moments, keeping her eyes trained on his. After what felt like an eternity of her being practically expressionless, her face broke out into a grin, “I like him.”

Eggsy chuckled and kissed her on the top of the head, “Me too, Dais,” he looked around, “Where’s Mum?”

She pointed to a closed door, “Her room.”

Eggsy set her down and let her scamper off to wherever she pleased while he and Harry took a seat on the couch in their small living room. Harry couldn’t keep his hands from fidgeting. And the only way they stilled at all was by Eggsy taking them in his own as they talked, waiting for Michelle to emerge.

“I’m so sorry, boys,” she came out of her room, face cast downwards as she tried to latch a necklace behind her neck. She sighed in frustration, “These damn things I swear, more trouble than they’re wo-” she looked up and the necklace slipped from her hands and clattered against the floor as she saw Harry.

Eggsy jumped up to get her necklace, “I got it, Mum,” he walked behind her and went to latch it for her.

As he fumbled with the clasp on it, Michelle kept her eyes glued to Harry, not able to believe what she was seeing. It was like a ghost that she never ever wanted to see. Her face went pale, paler than it had been to begin with. She fought to recover her expression, to make herself look less shocked and upset.

She felt the necklace rest against the back of her neck, and she cleared her throat, forcing a smile, “Thanks, babe.”

He found his spot standing next to Harry again, and taking the man’s hand in his own, went about making introductions that didn’t need to be made, “Mum, you know all about Harry by this point, yea?” he had a smile that was so full of pride, “And Harry, this is my mum, the only reason I’m half-sane.”

She took a breath and held out her hand, “Call me Michelle.”

He nodded, still not sure about how he should be going about the situation, “It’s a pleasure.”

She turned to Eggsy, “Dinner’s almost ready, could you go make sure that Daisy is getting cleaned up, please?”

“’Course,” he kissed her on the cheek as he walked by on his way to scout out his little sister.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Michelle turned to the man standing in front of her, her voice hushed but incredibly harsh, “You have got some nerve, Harry. You know how hard I’ve worked to make sure that Lee’s professional choice didn’t come back to haunt us anymore after he died? That was a danger I didn’t want hanging over my son’s head or my own,” she glanced around, making sure that Eggsy wasn’t about to walk into the room, “We went through enough because of you and your men. There’s a reason you never received a call.”

“Perhaps because Eggsy didn’t have the number,” he had never been so intimidated by someone before, but he couldn’t let it show too much.

“Hey, don’t you dare start judging. You have no idea what we’ve gone through,” she was angry but for a moment her mind flashed back to the pin that she kept buried at the bottom of the last drawer in her dresser.

“Actually, I do. You might not trust me, but your son does.”

“You never told him what happened, did you?”

Harry swallowed hard, his false sense of confidence withering away by the second, “At first, I didn’t realize there was even a connection.”

She arched an eyebrow, “How many Unwin’s do you know?”

He sighed, not able to really argue her point, “I was a bit blinded, I’ll admit.”

“ _A bit_ ,” she muttered, and Harry now knew where Eggsy got that particular habit and tone from. She took a deep breath, “He needs to know.”

“Are you saying that you’ll take care of it, or that I should?”

“Take care of what?” Eggsy walked back into the room, Daisy on his back.

“Nothing,” they said simultaneously.

He raised his eyebrows, “Right. Convincin’.”

Michelle sighed, “This isn’t the first time I’ve met Harry.”

Eggsy set his little sister down, asking her to go sit and pick a seat for him at the table and he’d be there in a second. Turning back to Harry and his mom, he asked, “How d’you know each other? You two never…” his voice trailed off and he looked more worried than anything.

“ _No_ ,” she answered as soon as she caught onto what he was implying, “Nothing like that at all.”

He let out a sigh of relief, “Aight then. What happened?”

“I met your mother after your father died.”

“You in the forces with ‘im?”

“Not exactly…”

The gears were turning inside Eggsy’s mind, “Wait, you tryin’ ta tell me that my dad, he was with you lot at Kingsman?”

Harry slowly nodded, “He was in the final phase of training, actually.”

“Mum said that he died out in combat. Grenade.”

“That’s not a total lie.”

“He got killed while he was out wiff you?” Eggsy could see his world collapsing around him.

“He saved everyone that was there that day, including me.”

His face hardened, “You let my dad get killed?”

“Eggsy, I tried to stop him, but he threw me back,” he reached forward to try and take the boy’s hand.

He jerked back, “No!” he took in a quick breath and looked over, making sure that Daisy wasn’t paying attention. He shook his head, “This ain’t over, aight? We’re not done here,” it was the coldest either Michelle or Harry had ever heard his voice. He couldn’t do anything but shake his head and turn back to go sit down next to his sister, his face instantly softening into a smile as he cooed her, sitting in the chair she was excitedly pointing to next to her.

Eggsy looked up, back to his mother and Harry with a questioning expression, his eyes asking what his mouth wouldn’t, _“We still gonna do this, or not?”_


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I've been ignoring this fic so bad and I'm so srry. But between school, life, and the fact that I started another fic (b/c I'm impulsive af) my list of things to do is growing exponentially.  
> Anywho, hope you like it!

Dinner was over and Eggsy had tucked Daisy into bed, something that he sorely missed doing every night. He walked back into the living room area, looking over at his mom, “She’s down fer the night.”

She nodded slightly, “Thanks, babe.”

He looked over at Harry, the both of them were clearly exhausted, “You ready to go home?”

He nodded, still not sure what he was about to be in for once they left, “As long as you are.”

Eggsy took a deep breath, his mind still reeling, “Alright, I guess we’ll get going then,” there was so much he wanted to ask his mom, but instead he hugged her and gave her a kiss on the forehead, “Talk soon, Mum. I love you.”

She nervously chewed the inside of her lip for a moment; she wanted to say something to him but at the same time she knew that he wasn’t going to say anything to her about it until he was ready. She gently cupped his face in one hand for a moment, “I love you too.”

He held the door open for Harry to walk through, offering up a weak smile to his mom before shutting it behind them. They made their way to the car in silence, Eggsy feeling like he was currently a spectator in his own life, like he wasn’t truly inside his own body. Harry ran his teeth along his bottom lip as he slid into the car, wishing that Eggsy would just say something already.

They pulled into Harry’s driveway, and Eggsy climbed out of the car without a word. He walked around to the front of the car and waited for Harry to meet him there. For a few moments, they stood there looking at one another, each trying to read the thoughts of the other.

Finally, Eggsy broke his gaze and looked down at the pavement beneath his feet, “I’m spending the night at Alex’s,” his voice was almost too level.

“Eggsy, please,” he fought the urge to reach for his hand, “say something.”

“I don’t know what to say to you right now, Harry,” he sounded more hurt than angry, “How could you keep lyin’ ta me like that?”

“I didn’t know at first, and-”

“ _At first_? I think there’s an expiration date on that excuse, bruv.”

“I know, I know. I was wrong not to tell you.”

He rolled his eyes, “Glad we at least agree on that.”

“Please,” he lightly touched Eggsy’s hand, “Don’t go. Let’s just try and talk about this.”

He pulled his hands away, tucking them into his pockets, “Believe it or not, I really ain’t got anything to say to you righ’ now.”

Harry knew that he had no standing in this argument at this point. There was so much that the both of them had to talk about in regards to what had happened long before Eggsy landed drunk on Harry’s doorstep, but it clearly wasn’t going to be discussed right then and there.

He tapped the toe of his sneaker on the driveway a few times before looking back up at Harry, “G’night. I’ll see you ‘round.”

That hurt Harry more than Eggsy yelling at him would have; he hated when Eggsy turned cold. He nodded, “Goodnight, Eggsy.”

“It’s me!” Eggsy called out as he kicked his sneakers off at the door. He made his way back to the kitchen and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. He popped the top off with ease and nearly downed the whole thing on the first shot. A sigh escaped him as he leaned back against the counter, still trying to wrap his head around everything.

“Everything alright, bruv?” Jamal wandered into the kitchen.

Eggsy shrugged, “Stressful day.”

“Work?”

“Wish that was the worst of it.”

“What’s goin’ on?”

He sighed, “’Arry and I got inta a bit of a spat.”

Jamal chuckled, “Ah, honeymoon phase is over then, yea? You two gonna be alright?”

His eyes were glued to the floor, “I ‘ope so.”

There was a hint of a smile on his face, “You really like this bloke, don’t you?”

“I mean, yea, I guess so. Why?”

He shrugged, “Nothing, I just never seen you get so fussed over someone before is all.”

Eggsy couldn’t help but to laugh, “Guess I really never got that invested in anyone before. Pretty bad, yea?”

Jamal laughed, “Nah, invest in the people who matter, Eggsy. I’m sure you two will be fine.” He clapped him on the back and went upstairs, leaving Eggsy to his thoughts.

 

He woke up early the next morning, before his alarm even went off. He sighed and threw on a set of workout clothes and headed off to get a good run in before work. He could run at Headquarters, but there was something therapeutic about running his old route that he needed.

He rinsed off in the shower and pulled on a button-down with his jeans and headed out the door. For a few moments he contemplated going over to Harry’s, seeing as how the man’s car was still in the driveway, but he knew that that wasn’t going to end well. He knew that Harry would still want to talk, and Eggsy still didn’t quite know what he wanted to say about the matter. With a heavy sigh, he set off on his own, the same way he had while Harry was gone.

Before he stepped into Merlin’s office, he shut his eyes and took a deep breath, praying for the strength to keep his problems with Harry as far from the lab as possible.

“Mornin’, Guv,” he logged onto his computer and set about his daily tasks.

“How are we today, Eggsy?”

He nodded, not making eye contact for fear of Merlin being able to see through his charade, “Good, good. Saw my mum and sis yesterday, first time in way too long.”

“Everyone well?”

“Oh, yea. Can’t get over how quick Daisy is growing,” an honest smile crossed his face, “Seems like yesterday I was keeping the paci from fallin’ outta her mouth, y’know?”

“I can imagine.”

“You got family here, Merlin?”

“Six children,” Merlin smiled, “Four girls, two boys. They’re a handful, but they’re always happy to see me when I come home.”

Eggsy’s jaw was on the ground, “Si….six kids?”

He couldn’t keep his composure any longer, “Eggsy, lad, I’ve got three dogs and three cats at home.”

He smirked, breaking out into laughter that he desperately needed, “Shit, bruv. The picture I’ve hadda you in my head just went up in smoke there fer a minute.”

“Just keeping you on your toes,” he stood up from his seat, “The test the candidates are going through today is going to be a draining one, and it’s bound to knock a few of them out of the running. Might just be your time to shine.”

“I finally get to make some friends?”

“If things go badly, then yes.”

“It’d be wrong-a me ta say I hope it does, right?”

Merlin simply chuckled and shook his head in response. He grabbed his clipboard from the surface of his desk and headed out the door, leaving Eggsy to keep everything from going down in flames.

There was a jingling sound and Eggsy turned to see JB walk through the door, followed immediately by Roxy with her poodle in tow. Eggsy smiled at her, “Ay, Rox, what’s up?”

She collapsed into Merlin’s seat, and for a moment Eggsy thought to raise the point to her, but there was no doubt that she already knew. She looked at him, her eyes betraying her concern, “Is Harry alright?”

He felt his stomach twist into a knot, “Don’t see why he wouldn’ be. Why?”

She shrugged, “He snapped at me earlier, and he’s just never done that before. Not that it’s totally out of the realm of possibility that he was frustrated with me,” she laughed.

He sighed, staring at his desk, “It’s not you ‘e’s mad at, if that makes you feel any better.”

“You two alright?”

He shook his head, “Not really. It’s a long story.”

“Don’t feel like talking about it?”

He shook his head, “Nothing personal, though.”

She smiled, “Totally understand. So, what do you feel like talking about?”

“How ‘bout the fact that your girl is the ballsiest person I’ve ever seen.”

Roxy laughed, “Not that I doubt it, but why?”

“Walked in an’ she was steppin’ ta Bryan, stickin’ up for herself. Swear that kid coulda just stepped on ‘er but she had that dog right at her beck and call, too. It was the scariest shit I ever seen. Swear on my life she grew like 6 inches. I know I’m supposed to stay neutral, but honestly, if there’s one of ‘em that I want stayin’ around here, it’s probably her.”

“Not a fan of the other candidates?”

He shrugged, “Nothin’ wrong with ‘em exactly. ‘Cept for Bryan. He can go the fuck home as far as I’m concerned,” he chuckled.

“What about Harry’s boy?”

“James?” he nodded, “’E’s good. Smart, strong, all that stuff. But he’s been pretty middle of the pack. Hasn’t quite found a way to really set ‘imself apart just yet. He’s not failin’ though,” Eggsy chuckled, “So that says something.”

“He a quiet boy?”

Eggsy nodded, “Yea. Seems pretty comfortable around Rebecca, though. He hasn’t really been getting overly close with anyone, which I guess is good. Pretty much everyone is gonna go home at some point, yea?”

Roxy remembered hearing some of the boys talking about it during her recruitment tests. Most of them knew each other before all being thrown in that room together, so it was a bit different. Roxy was an outsider though, and she knew exactly what James was going through. “It’s true. You’re stuck in a type of limbo with it,” she shrugged, “I just didn’t expect Harry to choose someone like him.”

“Someone like him?”

“Well, he just normally chooses candidates that stir things up a bit. Sort of like he chooses the one thing that’s unlike the others.”

Eggsy felt his stomach knot, “He wanted to send me in.”

She nodded, “Now _that_ makes sense to me. You’re much more his type,” she laughed, “Apparently in more way than one.”

Eggsy gave a small smile, but he wasn’t quite over his anger about everything that was going on between him and Harry. He couldn’t see himself getting over it any time soon, if at all.

“You alright?” Roxy’s voice cut through his train of thought.

“Just pissed, is all,” he sighed, “Did you know my dad was in Kingsman?”

She rasied her eyebrows, “No I didn’t.”

“Well, he was in training I guess. What these guys are doing now,” he gestured to the monitors, “Maybe not this thing exactly, but you get my point,” he took a deep breath, “An’ that’s how he died. And Harry knew this whole time and just,” he didn’t finish his sentence, fists trembling as he clenched them.

Suddenly everything fell into place and recognition flashed across Roxy’s face. Her voice was quiet, “Oh…”

“It’s just, I don’ even,” he ran his fingers through his hair, not knowing how to put his thoughts into a coherent sentence, “Why would he do that? Not tell me?”

She shook her head, “I’m sorry, Eggsy, I don’t know.”

Before their conversation could go any further, the door swung open and Merlin strolled in, ready to observe the recruits on their next task, one of his personal favorites. He politely asked Roxy to leave, seeing as how she wasn’t supposed to be able to watch her candidate as the tasks were happening. She silently slipped out, resting her hand on Eggsy’s shoulder as she left.

“You two alright?” Merlin asked as he set up his monitors and microphone.

Eggsy snapped out of his daze, “What? Yea, we’re fine, Guv.”

“What has you so upset, then?”

He shook his head, “I’m not,” he faltered, “It’s, it’s nothing.”

He wasn’t convinced, “We can discuss it later,” he gave a reassuring nod before flipping on his microphone and speaking to the recruits, who were just about to get ready to run and jump out of a helicopter.

Eggsy couldn’t believe that he was watching. He gawked at Merlin as the kids ran and jumped, not even totally sure what their task was yet. As soon as Merlin said that one of them wasn’t going to have a parachute, Eggsy felt sick to his stomach. He got up and walked out of the room, telling Merlin to call him when it was all over with.

Normally he’d wander up to Harry’s office at a time like this, because he always seemed to have the answers that the boy was looking for, but he couldn’t swallow his anger enough to do so. Instead, he took it upon himself to wander the halls, aimlessly this time, until Merlin gave him the word to come back.

Which happened quicker than Eggsy had expected. Merlin assured him that no one had died, but that he still wanted Eggsy to go in and check on the candidates. Eggsy took a deep breath and made his way to the room where they were all staying. “Anyone in particular I should be worried ‘bout?”

“Possibly Rebecca and James.”

“Why’s that?”

“Rebecca was the one without a parachute, and James saved her.”

“Oh you gotta-” he stopped himself and took a deep breath, “We seriously gotta talk, Guv.”

“There’s a few things we need to talk about, apparently,” he said coolly. 

Eggsy bit his tongue, knowing that was an argument he wouldn’t win. He sighed, “I’ll be back once I check in on everyone, yea?”

“Sounds fine to me, lad,” there was a click, and Eggsy knew that he was more or less alone again. He stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath before walking in. As he looked around, everyone seemed to be keeping to themselves. They were all eerily quiet, the four of them that were left, anyway, and Eggsy had to imagine they were still trying to wrap their heads around the fact that Merlin had pretty much decided that one of them was disposable.

He took mental note of who had made it. There was James, Rebecca, Bryan, and Louis. Eggsy hadn’t paid him all that much mind. He was a lot like James, in some ways, very middle-of-the-pack. He was quiet, smart, and appeared to be a pretty decent person, which was more than Eggsy could say for some people.

“Ay, guys,” he smiled, “yer all pretty quiet for recruits who should be celebratin’ that they made it this far.”

“Did you know what was going to happen?” James sounded angry, but more afraid than anything as he stepped up to Eggsy, “Did you know that they weren’t going to give Becca the chute?”

“Whoa, whoa,” Eggsy held his hands up, “James, bruv, I didn’t know nothin’ about any of the tests. I find out about them as you guys do.”

“Have you talked to Merlin?” Rebecca spoke up, her expression was neutral but Eggsy could see that she was holding back tears.

He nodded, “Yea, not much, though. Why?”

“Did he say why…why I didn’t get the parachute?”

Eggsy shook his head, “Honestly, Doll, I didn’t know until about two minutes ago that you didn’t have one. I gotta imagine it’s random, though.”

Bryan scoffed, sitting contentedly on his bed on the other side of the room, “Yea, right. You’re probably required to say that.”

Eggsy whipped around, “And what would I ‘ave ta gain from lyin’ ta all you, Bryan? Your smart ass care ta tell me that?” he knew he should stop before it got out of hand, but he couldn’t keep a lid on it any more.

Bryan smirked, “Probably would look pretty bad on you if you gave away the fact that they’re trying to get rid of her.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes, “Are your ears tucked up your-” he bit his tongue, “I _told_ you, I don’t know anything about the tasks before you lot do. That’s not my area of expertise.”

He shrugged, “Just as well. Don’t want to trust a bloody chav with delicate information.”

“For the love of god, Bryan,” Rebecca spoke up, “Just shut the fuck up already. You’ve got an awful lot to say for someone who wimped out on your team halfway through the task.”

He looked appalled that someone, let alone someone like Rebecca, would speak to him like that. He got up and walked over to her bed, Eggsy immediately stepping between the two of them. Bryan’s voice was low as he locked eyes with the girl over Eggsy’s shoulder, “At least they thought of me as valuable enough to _give me a parachute_.”

The door swung open and everyone’s attention diverted to Merlin, who was standing there with his arms folded across his chest. No one, not even Eggsy, had ever seen him with such a stern expression. He didn’t look at anyone in particular, “Troops, Eggsy, you’re excused from the room,” as they all made their way towards the door, he spoke up again, “Except for you, Bryan.”

Everyone slowly made their way out of the room, hoping that by some miracle that they would get the opportunity to watch him get reamed by their CO. Eggsy gently herded them out into the hallway, proceeding to ask where they hung out when they weren’t in their room, so they didn’t have to stand awkwardly in the hall for however long it would take.

They all sat down on the back steps of Headquarters. Louis set his dog down, a beagle who was big enough to not have to be carried anymore but Louis still insisted on doing so, and let him run around for a bit. The large expanse of flat, green grass was straight out of any dog’s dream. The four of them all looked back and forth at each other, not really sure what they were supposed to talk about.

“So,” Eggsy smiled halfheartedly, “I take it yer all sick of talkin’ about the tasks, yea?” None of them said anything but they all nodded. Eggsy chuckled, “Fair ‘nough. So, what’re your lives like outside’a this? Or rather, what were they like before this? Seeing as how not matter what everything’ll be a bit diff’rent.”

It was in that moment that they all realized that they’d never really gotten to know each other at all. They’d spent so much time together but didn’t know anything outside what they’d learned about each other’s abilities in training.

They didn’t know how long they’d been out there, but by the end of it they all felt like they were actually friends, not just kids who were competing against each other for a job position. They’d even gotten Eggsy to talk a little bit about himself. He gave a vague overview of how he’d gotten into Kingsman.

“Yea, guess sleepin’ with one of the top agents was a pretty surefire way to do it,” Rebecca said it with a laugh and smile so he knew she meant to harm by it.

Eggsy chuckled, “Yea, talk ‘bout job security. Sure don’t think it hurt that they almost got me killed.”

Rebecca gave a sarcastic laugh, “I better get somethin’ out of all this, then.”

Before their conversation could go any farther, Merlin said it was time for the recruits to return to their living area, and that Eggsy was due back at the lab. They all looked at each other for a few moments before standing and making their way back in. Eggsy left them at the doorway to their room with a final comment that even though he was just a lab rat, they could always talk to him if they needed to.

“And that don’ end when all this is over,” he smiled and continued down the hallway. He punched in the code to Merlin’s office and strolled in, “Ay, Guv, you still wanna talk?”

“I think we should.”

Eggsy sat down in his chair, his facial expression much more neutral than it had been with the recruits, “Should I start, then?”

He shut off his monitors and spun in his chair so he was facing Eggsy, a concerned look on his face, “If you want, I think that’d be best.”


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not everything posted right and the format was funky, so sorry for anyone who tried to read before I was able to edit and fix it all! xox

“What do you even wan’ me ta say?” Eggsy wasn’t used to being able to freely speak his mind, especially in regards to what was bothering him. This whole conversation felt like some huge trap.

“What’s bothering you, Eggsy? You don’t seem quite yourself today.”

“Well for one thing, you decided to nearly kill the one candidate who constantly shows why she should be able ta stick around,” he wasn’t going to mention his problems with Harry if he could help it, “Honestly Guv, she coulda died.”

“I do many things to these recruits during training,” his voice was calm, “But never once have I ever needlessly endangered them.”

“Oh, so, what, you just _knew_ James was gonna save her, did you?”

“If you had stayed and watch the task unfold, you would’ve seen that she never even attempted to open her parachute,” he grabbed his tablet and opened the feed, “Watch this.”

Eggsy skeptically took it, watching and cringing even though he knew that everyone ended up alright. One of the recruits pulled the strap on their bag as soon as Merlin had said one of them didn’t have a parachute, and not even a minute later another recruit followed suit, leaving the four who’d made it through the task.

James spoke up, “Alright, grab the person closest to you,” for someone who was normally so quiet, there was a loud authority in his voice, the same kind Eggsy had heard fighting through when he asked about Rebecca, “One of you try to release your parachute. If it goes, you’re fine and just don’t fuck up on the landing. If it doesn’t, the other person needs to yank theirs, got it?”

“Sorry, mate,” panic was all over Bryan’s face and in his voice as he released his parachute. Eggsy shook his head, now fully realizing what Rebecca had meant when she said that he had bailed on his team.

“Oh you’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Rebecca’s anger could be felt through the speakers, “Louis, take my left hand, James, my right,” they formed a tight little triangle. She looked over at Louis, “Let go and pull yours!”

A white billow of fabric unfurled and James made sure Rebecca was wrapped firmly around him as he reached for the string on his pack, “Hold on!” he shut his eyes tight and pulled the string, relief spreading across his face as the pressure of the parachute pulled against his chest.

“Alright, you better not fuck up this landing for me, James,” Rebecca laughed.

Merlin took the tablet back from Eggsy, shut off the feed, and set it to the side. He looked at Eggsy, and while the boy knew where this was going, he wasn’t completely convinced.

“That doesn’t prove anyhtin’,” he sounded like a child who knew he was about to lose an argument.

Merlin nodded towards the storage cabinets on the far end of the lab, “Go find the pack with her name on it. Search it.”

Eggsy stood up and rifled through the cabinets until he found the one with Rebecca’s name stitched on it. He looked through every section of the bag, and sure enough, he felt the sleek cloth of a parachute. He sighed as he sat back down in his chair with the pack in his lap. He looked over at Merlin, “So they all had ‘em…”

He nodded, “They did. No one ever dies during training.”

“’Cept my dad, yea?”

Merlin took a deep breath, “Ah, that’s what’s wrong then.”

“You knew ‘im too, din’t you?”

He nodded, “Your father and I were very close.”

“But ‘e was Harry’s candidate.”

“He was. But he and James went back and forth so long in the final stages, Harry and I got to know each other’s proposals as well as we knew our own.”

“Why didn’t no one tell me ‘bout this? Fuckin’ Hell ev’ryone ‘round here ‘cept Rox knew him and yet no one ever dropped a hint about it in passing.”

“I’m assuming they thought you knew.”

“You knew I didn’t?”

He nodded, “I figured Harry had his reasons for not telling you, that perhaps he was waiting for the right time to bring it up.”

“I don’ think there’s ever a _right_ time to tell yer boyfriend you killed his dad,” he huffed.

Merlin bit back a laugh. The situation itself wasn’t comical but Eggsy’s blunt sense of candor never ceased to amuse him. “Look, lad, I tried to advise him to tell you sooner rather than later, but my word only carries so much weight. It’s no longer my responsibility to make sure his personal relationships are flowing smoothly.”

“’E’s talked ta you about this, then?”

“More than once. Called me last night.”

“Shit,” Eggsy mumbled under his breath.

“He knows he was wrong, Eggsy.”

“Good!” he didn’t mean to yell, but he couldn’t help it, “Fuck, Merlin. You wanna know what the shit part of all this is?”

“One specific part, lad?” Merlin offered up a small smile, trying not to let Eggsy get dragged too far into his own head.

It earned a laugh from him, “Aight, _one_ one of the shit parts, then,” he sighed, “Fer once, I thought that maybe, by some weird twist I finally ended up in the first honest relationship I’ve ever ‘ad. Like, once I foun’ out about all’a this,” he gestured to the lab, “I thought there wasn’t gonna be anythin’ more ta hide.”

“Are you planning on saying any of this to him?”

He looked at the ground and shrugged, “’Ventually.”

“You’re going to make him wait and pine after you?”

Eggsy smirked, “Guess that’d be a bit mean, yea?”

Merlin chuckled, “While I love a cruel sense of humor, I think that’d be a bit much, yes.”

The smile on Eggsy’s face only lasted for a few moments, “I gotta talk to him, then, don’t I?”

“I think we both know the answer to that.”

He groaned and ran his hands over his face, “I jus’, I can’t say any’a this ta him calmly, Guv. I can’t. I’m so pissed.”

“You have the right to be, Eggsy, and Harry knows that. Personally I think he’d rather have you yell at him for a bit than to have to deal with an indefinite stretch of silence. He’s not going to be angry with you for being angry.”

He pondered over the statement for a few moments. He’d never thought about that. All his life Eggsy had been a fairly angry person, as would anyone be if they had to put up with the things that he did. But he was never able to really express it without consequence. That’s why he’d always walk away when he was angry with Harry. Anyone else in his life, if he got angry with them, they’d let him know just how wrong it was that he would even say anything about it, like he had the right to demand anything from other people.

“You don’t think?” he finally asked, his voice quiet.

Merlin shook his head, “Not at all.”

 

He still couldn’t quite muster up the courage to talk to Harry about everything, so for a few more nights he stayed at Alex’s, taking comfort in the fact that his old room still felt like home. He was just getting done cleaning everyone’s dishes from dinner one night when he heard someone messing with the handle on the back door. They kept it locked and only the four of them living there knew where the key was hidden. Eggsy had his guard up as he walked over and peered through the curtain, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw that it was only Anna.

He unlocked it and pulled it open, “Ay, Anna.”

Her face lit up as she wrapped him in a tight hug, “Eggsy! I feel like it’s been ages since I’ve seen you.”

“Yea,” he smiled as he rested his chin on top of her head, “It’s been a bit, ‘asn’t it?” he stepped back slightly, “More important, though, why’re you tryin’ ta bust in the back door?”

“Ha, no, I wasn’t trying to break in,” she shrugged, “I thought I saw a cat run to your back yard, so I went after it but when I got there, there wasn’t anything.”

“A cat?” he was immediately interested.

“Alright,” Alex walked into the kitchen, “I’m gonna stop letting people stay here if every new person brings an animal with them,” he looked around, “Speaking of which, where’s your dog, mate?”

“They’ve got a place fer him at work. There’s other dogs there too so I leave him there some nights.”

“He can bear to be away from you for that long?” Alex laughed.

Eggsy smiled, “As long as he has other dogs to distract him from how torn up ‘e is about me bein’ gone,” he glanced back at Anna, “But anyway, where’ve you been, Doll? I’ve been stayin’ here the better part of a week.”

“Went on vacation with my mum, nothing fancy but she wanted to get away for a few days. Can’t believe the few days I’m not here you decide to show up, though.”

“Sorry, Doll,” he offered a small smile.

“You back for good?” it was clear that she was still trying to get a feel for the situation.

He shook his head, “Just needed a bit of space for a bit, ‘s’all.”

“Well,” she walked over to the fridge and grabbed a few beers, tossing one to Eggsy, “C’mon, we have some catching up to do, then! I wanna hear about work and classes.”

Eggsy laughed, “Aight, but you gotta dish out everything I’ve been missin’ ‘round here, deal?”

She beamed, “Deal.”

 

Eggsy walked over to Harry’s the following night, standing on the front porch for a few moments before letting himself in. “Knock, knock?” he called out tentatively, so Harry would emerge from the shadows with a gun at the ready.

“Eggsy?” he appeared at the top of the stairs, all bundled up in his red robe, “Is everything alright?”

He nodded, “Yea, I’m alright,” he swallowed, trying not to think about the lump in his throat, “I just, I miss you…”

He made his way down the stairs, “I miss you too, Darling.”

“C’n we talk?”

Part of Harry was relieved, because this was a huge step in the right direction, but he was also nervous about how the conversation was going to turn out. Nonetheless, he nodded, “Of course. Give me two minutes,” he offered up a small smile and disappeared into the kitchen.

He came back out with two cups of tea and found Eggsy on the couch with a blanket draped around his shoulders. As Harry set the tea down on the coffee table and sat on the opposite end of the couch from the boy, he started thinking about everything that had happened in that living room. He remembered giving Eggsy stitches there, their fights that had happened, that first night Eggsy turned up drunk and slept there. If those walls could talk.

“You want to talk about your father.”

He nodded nervously, still worried that suddenly Harry was going to snap and not be the same kind, loving man he’d known.

“Alright, why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind, then.”

“I just,” he stared down into his cup, “I felt like I got cheated, ‘Arry. Y’know this is the first real relationship I ever ‘ad? And I just, after I found out about all that stuff with you ‘n Kingsman I figured that maybe we were on the same playin’ field. I thought there weren’t any more skeletons hidden away. I just, this is a huge thing ta lie to me about…”

Harry was surprised at how calm the boy was. Perhaps the few days apart had done him some good, given him time to cool off. “I know, Eggsy. And I was wrong not to tell you. But, I just couldn’t imagine telling you and then losing you to it. I realize I nearly caused the same thing to happen by _not_ saying anything, but I didn’t know how to approach the whole situation."

The two of them sat and talked, Harry trying to tell Eggsy as much about his time with Lee as he could manage. He wanted Eggsy to fully grasp just why it was so difficult for him to tell what happened. Harry still blamed himself, which is why he wasn’t mad at the boy for doing the same. But it haunted him, and he didn’t want those ghosts to start casting shadows over his relationship with Eggsy. It wasn’t a good justification, but it was his reasoning nonetheless.

“I trusted you,” Eggsy’s voice was soft, and he couldn’t force himself to look at Harry, “An’ I don’t just…that’s not somethin’ I do with people.”

The hurt look on his face made Harry feel like there was a huge weight on his chest. He reached forward and gently placed his hand on the boy’s knee, “I’m so sorry, Eggsy. Believe me if I could do this all differently, I would. I never meant to hurt you; this whole thing was about me trying to avoid doing just that.”

He nodded, quickly wiping away the tears in hopes that Harry wouldn’t notice them, “I know. I just, I never thought that I’d have to worry about you bein’ the one lying to me.”

There was silence and neither of them really knew where this left them. Harry moved so he was closer, and wrapped his arm around Eggsy’s waist to pull him closer. It was the first real physical contact he’d let Harry have with him since he left that night.

“I promise,” he kissed the top of the boy’s head, “no more secrets. Is there anything you want to ask?”

Eggsy shrugged and rested his head against Harry’s shoulder, “I dunno.”

He looked and noticed just how haggard Eggsy really looked, “Do you want to get some sleep?” He nodded but didn’t say anything. Harry kissed his temple before standing up and collecting up their cups, “You can head upstairs if you want; I’ll be there in a minute.”

Eggsy gave a tired nod and slowly fumbled his way up the stairs. He stripped down to his boxers before crawling under the covers on his side of the bed, letting the familiar scent of Harry’s house and sheets wash over him. He closed his eyes and listened for the light footsteps that would be coming down the hall any moment.

Harry slid down next to him, wrapping his arms around the boy’s waist, fingers lightly tracing over his sides. The ridges of past scars over his ribs felt foreign when he had known them so well before. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he saw the scar that went down the side of the boy’s neck, and his stomach twisted into a knot. One of these days Harry wouldn’t be the reason for his marks and blemishes.

The sound of Eggsy’s snoring began to fill the room before Harry could beat himself up too much. He smiled and let his eyes shut, thankful that his nights were no longer filled with silence.


	37. Chapter 37

Eggsy walked into Merlin’s office, silently setting a cup of coffee by him before taking his own seat. Merlin looked at him out of the corner of his eye, smiling as he took note of the smirk on the boy’s lips. He hadn’t looked like that since he fought with Harry, and he had to assume that the two of them had at least _started_ to talk things out.

As Eggsy typed reports into the system, he casually asked, “When’s the next test fer these guys?” he nodded to the digital roster of the remaining recruits, “I feel like they should be done with all these written exams and such by now, yea?”

“I’m glad you asked,” Merlin spun to face him, taking a sip of his coffee before giving a full response, “Now, before I say anything about what’s coming up next, I need you to honestly answer my question. Do you trust that I won’t endanger or kill any of the candidates?”

Eggsy sighed, “Yea, yea. I know you’ve got yer wizard ways of makin’ sure everyone is alright in the end.”

He nodded, “Good. This afternoon, I need you to hand these reports out to the recruits and give them a briefing for their next test.”

“ _I_ get ta brief them?” his eyes lit up with excitement.

“Aye, they seem to like you. And if you brief them they’ll never expect what’s coming.”

His nerves showed in his expression, “Why, what’s coming?”

“I’ll tell you after you brief them.”

Eggsy groaned before turning back to his computer, “Alright, fine. But if they all end up hating me because of this, I’m throwin’ you clean under the bus, yea?”

“That’s fair,” he nodded with a laugh.

Later that day, Eggsy walked into the recruits’ room, smiling at the sight of all them sprawled out on their beds with their dogs either on them or next to them. He enjoyed it for a moment before clearing his throat to get their attention. They set down their phones and books, going to get up off of their beds until they saw that it was Eggsy, and he’d told them multiple times that he needed their attention, but they didn’t have to put forth any physical exertion when he entered the room.

He handed each of them a file. They all had various looks of annoyance on their faces. “Another exam?”

He shook his head, “Your next _task_.”

Their faces immediately brightened, and Eggsy couldn’t help but to laugh as they excitedly opened their folders. James pulled out a photo, “Who’s this?”

Eggsy smiled, “That, my friends, is yer target. You’ve gotta use your training to win ‘im over in, as Merlin says, _a biblical sense_.”

There was a smug grin on Louis’s face as he held up the same photo as his fellow recruit, “Well alright then, let’s do this,” he looked at James, “Game on, mate.”

Rebecca laughed as she pulled her photo out, “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Louis,” her grin was smug as could be as she flashed the photo of the same gentleman.

“Oh, what?” James’s face fell, “That ain’t fair, mate!” he looked pleadingly at Eggsy, “How’re we supposed to compete with a girl on this?”

“I dunno bruv,” he laughed, “I don’ think she’s the one you gotta worry about. Louis seems pretty confident in ‘imself.”

“This isn’t my first trip around the block, my friends,” he rested his hands on the back of his head, “I got this one in the sack. _Literally_.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes, “Cute, Louis.”

Eggsy cleared his throat, “Aight, lemme finish my spiel before you start trash-talking, yea? It’s a party, and a fancy one at that. One of the poshest clubs in town. Dress the part, act the part. You’ve got an invite, yea, but the bouncers there are the only ones who know what’s goin’ on, and if you’re fuckin’ about they’ll escort you. So keep it together, and get that bloke in the sack like your life depends on it. The person who succeeds, well, you get laid _and_ you get bragging rights 'cos you did the best,” he nodded, “I’ll leave you to your trash-talk.”

 

The three of them cleaned themselves up, and even Merlin had to admit that he was impressed by how well they could keep it together. Usually when recruits became as friendly as they all were, it was harder to them to focus on their mission, falling into jokes and the like. But they wound their way through the party and found their target easily enough.

“So,” Eggsy rolled his chair over to the main monitor, “what’s next?”

“They’re going to be drugged,” there was no emotional infliction in his voice.

“ _What_?”  
“And tied to a set of train tracks, led to believe they’ll be killed if they don’t blow the cover of our operation to a mysterious villain.”

“Merlin, bruv, that’s _mental_!”

“We’re testing their loyalty. You best believe they’ll encounter these situations out in the field, only the threat will be real.”

“You don’t think they’ll figure it out?”

He shook his head, “No. Only one person ever has in the history of this test.”

“Who?”

He chuckled, “Roxy.”

Eggsy laughed and rolled his eyes, “Figures.”

Sure enough, while their target got up to get himself another drink, the drug in each of their champagne glasses began to take its toll. They all started to feel drowsy and within moments were unconscious.

“They can’t taste that?” Eggsy asked curiously.

Merlin cast him a skeptical look, “Why would they be able to?”

He shrugged, “Dunno. I mean, drugs like that usually give drinks, especially shit as light as champagne, a funny taste.”

He’d never been so intrigued, “How would you-” he stopped himself, feeling as though he wasn’t ready for the real answer to the question, “nevermind. I’ve never seen anyone be able to detect the drug.”

“Hm,” Eggsy shrugged it off, “I s’pose all yer high-tech stuff would go down a bit easier,” the monitor changed and it showed Louis strapped down to the train tracks. Even though Eggsy knew the boy would be alright, his stomach still twisted, “Shit, Guv.”

Louis slowly came-to, and when he realized what was happening around him, he started to fight and pull against the ropes that kept him bound to the tracks. He begged to be let go, but obviously, it was to no avail.

“Tell me Louis, who is Albert Schneider, and what the fuck is Kingsman?”

“Merlin,” Eggsy whispered despite knowing the recruits couldn’t hear him, “that’s…that’s Gawain. Why is he askin’ his recruit about ‘imself?”

Merlin chuckled, “The drug doesn’t just knock you out, lad. It makes you hallucinate. There’s a very rigid timeframe for it, though. The effects wear off immediately once the time runs up. And the adrenaline in their systems counteracts any lingering sideffects.”

“That is sick,” Eggsy was fascinated. It seemed impossible, but at this point he knew better than to question how anything that Kingsman had in their arsenal came to be.

“I’m telling you mate,” Louis struggled frantically as the train got closer, “I don’t fucking know what you’re talking about!”

“Oh come on, don’t make me do this. I just had to kill your two friends who gave me the same goddamn answer!”

The statement about his friends sank in immediately, “ _No_!” he writhed against the ropes.

“Last chance, Louis. Is Kingsman really worth dying for?”

His face went cold, and his whole body relaxed, “You can be _damn sure_ it is!” he spat at the mystery man in front of him and shut his eyes tight as he waited for his inevitable death.

The tracks dropped, the train passed, and when Louis realized he was still alive, he opened his eyes, and saw Gawain standing in front of him. The look of confusion on the poor boy’s face made Gawain chuckle.

He nodded, “I’m proud of you, Louis. You did extremely well,” he laughed as he knelt down to cut the ropes around the boy’s feet, “The spit caught me off-guard. I’m impressed.”

“But, but” he looked around, “that guy was just…”

He shook his head and freed the boy’s hands, “That drug had a stronger punch than any of you can imagine,” he helped him up, “You want to watch your friends?”

Louis thought about it for a moment, “I mean, yea, I guess,” he rubbed his wrists, “They’re not gonna get run over, are they?”

Gawain laughed, “No, no, they’ll be fine.”

They walked into the room where Eggsy and Merlin were standing, Louis shook his head at the both of them, “That’s fucked, mate.”

Eggsy held his hands up, “I din’t know about that till you all went to the party. I just thought you had to bang some gov’ner’s son.”

“I liked it better when that was all it was,” Louis laughed.

“Well I don’ see why you can just go back an-”

“ _Eggsy_ ,” Merlin cut him off, “This is a recruitment task, not a tryst.”

The other two passed the test as well, and Merlin would be lying if he said that he was surprised. They all seemed like incredibly loyal individuals, and he could feel the responsibility of creating more tests creeping up on him. Once the last recruit had passed the test, Eggsy excused himself, a little sick to his stomach over the test still, even though he knew they were all alright. Looking at it from a technical standpoint he was fine, but once he thought about the impact it could have on the candidates, it made his insides flip. He’d had enough experience with awful after-effects, and he didn’t like to think of any of them going through anything remotely close to what he had dealt with.

Merlin looked at the three recruits, a pleased smile on his face, “Well, since all three of you passed, all three of you will go into the final phase of training. From here on out, there’s no safety nets, no chance for do-overs or forgiveness, clear?” All three of them nodded silently. Merlin looked to the three agents, “Galahad, Lancelot, Gawain, as per tradition you have the next twenty-four hours to spend with your candidates uninterrupted. You’re all dismissed.”

 

Eggsy was in the shower and didn’t hear Harry and James walk in. He’d offered the boy the opportunity to come over for dinner to pick his brain about anything he was curious or nervous about, and there was a spare room if he didn’t want to spend the night at Headquarters.

“I’m not sure what Becca and Louis are doing,” he told Harry honestly, “But we’d been talking about maybe having a recruits’ night. Films, snacks, the whole thing. Kind of like a last hoorah, yea?”

Harry smiled and nodded as he shut the door behind the two of them, “Well that sounds just fine. If you’d rather do that, don’t feel pressured to stay here. But the offer’s there if you feel inclined. We'll still have the whole day tomorrow regardless,” he motioned to the counter with a smile, “Take a seat, please. Make yourself comfortable.”

Harry was in the middle of making dinner when Eggsy came down stairs, walking into the kitchen in just his towel, “Ay, Love.”

James couldn’t pass up the opportunity, “Ello, handsome.”

Eggsy stopped dead in his tracks and looked over at the counter, noticing James for the first time. His face went pale for a few moments and then turned a deep red. “James,” he smiled nervously, “what a nice surprise,” he looked pointedly at Harry, “Didn’t know we were havin’ comp’ny tonight.”

Harry purposely didn’t look up for fear of not being able to hold back his laughter any longer. He stared down at his cutting board, “I assumed Merlin would’ve told you the protocol. I’m sorry, Darling.”

He rolled his eyes, “Yea, ya sound _real_ apologetic,” he turned back to James, “Well, sorry ‘bout this, bruv,” he laughed and gave a helpless shrug, “Least I had a towel on, yea?”

James laughed, “I was prepared to shag some guy I’d never met before not even two hours ago. Trust me, mate, you in a towel isn’t pushing the envelope very much.”

Eggsy nodded as he turned to head back upstairs to change, “True.”

He clamored back down the stairs a few minutes later in a pair of flannel pajama pants and one of Harry’s old t-shirts. He popped up beside the man and kissed him on the cheek before continuing on to the refrigerator, all the while trying to scope out just what Harry was making for dinner.

“I’m assumin’ Harry offered you somethin’ ta drink, James?”

He laughed, “Yea, he did. I’m fine though, Eggsy, thanks.”

“You sure? Water? Tea? Whiskey?”

“ _Eggsy_ ,” Harry turned and shot him a look.

“What? ‘E’s old enough,” he turned back to James, “You _are_ old enough, yea?”

James nodded, amused at how they went back and forth, “I am, yea. But I’ll just have a water, I guess.”

“Makin’ me work hard, bruv,” Eggsy laughed as he slid the class down the counter to be flawlessly caught by James, as if they’d rehearsed it before.

The three of them sat down around the dining room table, and Eggsy smiled to himself because in all the times he’d stayed and eaten at Harry’s, they’d hardly ever used the dining room table. They were quite the trio, seeing as how Harry was still in his suit, James in a crisp black button-down with his formal tie loosened so that it barely hung around his neck since he didn’t change after he left the club, and Eggsy in his pajamas.

After a little while of listening to the banter between Eggsy and Harry as they talked to James about some of the other agents that they worked with, he finally summed up the courage to ask some of the questions that had been on his mind.

“Harry, is it against the rules for me to keep in touch with the recruits who go home? Or, if I’m the one who goes home, can I still talk to whoever gets the spot?”

He nodded, “I don’t see why not. Most candidates, if they don’t make it, try to forget about the whole thing. But there’s no rule against keeping in touch,” a smile crossed his lips, “You all are actually friends, aren’t you?”

James nodded, “Yea. I mean, Becca and I have been close pretty much from the start. Louis kinda came out of his shell once Bryan was gone.”

“From the sounds of it his departure made it easier on everyone,” Harry said it calmly, trying to respond before Eggsy could make his emotions be known once again.

“Sounds mean to say it, but yea.”

“It’s not mean,” Eggsy said with a shrug, “’e was a prick.”

Harry rested his head against one hand, “Eggsy.”

He laughed, “What? I’m just sayin’. Oh c’mon, you can’t say you thought diff’rent.”

“You can be honest, Harry,” James laughed, “I mean, I certainly didn’t like him. I spent most of the time waiting for Becca to send her dog on him.”

Harry nearly choked on his drink from laughing, “That would’ve been quite the sight. If she’s anything like how Roxy described her, if Bryan had stayed much longer it probably would’ve happened,” he smiled and shook his head, “But regardless, are there any other questions that you have, James?”

He shrugged, “I mean, yea, but I don’t even know where to start. Like, okay, so let’s say I get the spot, yea? How do you even _start_ doing this job? I don’t even know anyone except you, Harry. And it’s not like you’re going to be there to hold my hand throughout the whole thing.”

“You’ve just gotta find someone to buddy up with, bruv,” Eggsy told him as he collected up everyone’s dinner plates, “’Cos it is kinda scary when you first start there since everyone ‘as been doin’ this fer ages. But if you find one person to be your friend and show you the ropes, you’ll be aight.”

“Who’d you go to? Harry, I’m assuming?”

Eggsy laughed and shook his head, “Nah, ‘e was MIA on a mission when I first started working around HQ. I made Merlin my best friend.”

James laughed, “Your best friend, yea? I didn’t think he had friends.”

“It’s difficult for him,” Harry smiled cheekily, “since he hates most human interaction.”

Eggsy chuckled and shook his head, “He hates it with you lot ‘cos you’re all dickheads.”

“Or you did some brown-nosing,” Harry smirked.

Eggsy rolled his eyes, “Well I hadda win him over a bit since the first time I showed up in ‘is office he put a gun ta my head.”

“ _What_?” James knew that Merlin never really messed around but that seemed like a bit much even for him.

“B’fore you get disgusted or nervous,” Eggsy sat back down again, “he had good reason. Turns out _someone_ never told him that I might be showing up,” he stared at Harry.

“Well if you had _called_ or perhaps _knocked_ it wouldn’t have been a problem, Dear.”

Eggsy looked at James with an exaggerated expression of disbelief and pointed his thumb at Harry, “You listenin’ ta this, bruv?”

“But,” Harry tried to rein their conversation back to where it had started, “in the beginning if you ever have any problems or questions I’ll always help however I can. And, if for some reason I can’t be found, I’m sure Eggsy will have no problem helping you out.”

He nodded in agreement, “That is one thing he’s right about,” Eggsy smiled, “I’ll try ta never leave you hung out to dry.”

James’s phone went off and when he looked down at the screen, he saw Rebecca’s name. He looked up at Harry, “I don’t mean to be rude, but…”

Harry smiled, “By all means.”

James answered, “Hey, what’s up?...Yea that’s fine…No, don’t worry about it. Have fun, Becca,” he laughed, “Yea, see you then. Alright, bye.”

“Everything alright?” Harry asked.

James nodded, “Yea, she was just letting me know that if the three of us are gonna do movie night it’ll have to be when all of this is over, because her and Roxy have plans tonight for a girl’s night.”

Harry smiled, “Probably one of the first times she’s had one of those since she became Lancelot,” he paused, “Would you rather stay here than at Headquarters?”

James nodded, “I mean, as long as it’s not a problem.”

“Of course not. The guest room should be in order as long as Eggsy hasn’t ransacked it as of late.”

He rolled his eyes, “Oh sure, always blame the boyfriend,” he shook his head and laughed, “Classic,” he paused for a moment, “But yea, it’s all in order.”

Harry stood up and motioned for James to do the same, “Come, I’ll grab your bags and show you where your room is.”


	38. Chapter 38

Eggsy left and went to HQ early the next morning, wanting to give Harry and James some time alone since that was the point of the whole 24-hour stretch. He sauntered into the lab and couldn’t deny that he was a little surprised to see Merlin already there. He’d assumed that with all the candidates off with their mentors he’d take the time to go home and do whatever it is that he likes to do in his spare time.

“Ay, Guv,” Eggsy sat down, “If I’d’a known you were gonna be here I would’ve grabbed you coffee or somethin’. I just figured you’d be stayin’ home.”

Merlin laughed, “No, no. I never really get a day off. I’m compiling missions for the agents whose recruits are out of the running. No rest for the weary, lad.”

He nodded, “Ah, I see,” he twirled around in his chair, like the first day he’d turned up in the lab, “Anything I c’n help you with?”

“There might be,” he turned to face him, “It won’t be for a couple more days, but I was wondering if you’d be able to help me with the next task. We’re in need of an extra set of hands since we normally only have two recruits by this point.”

Eggsy had an excited grin plastered across his face, happy to be involved in the whole recruiting process any way he could, “I’d be ‘appy ta help, Guv. What d’you need me to do?”

“You’re not going to like it. But you’re the only other person here who is impartial,” he glanced at the adjacent room where the other tech-workers were, “and that I trust enough for this.”

Eggsy’s expression dropped, “I’m not gonna have ta drug ‘em or anything, am I?”

“No, no, of course not,” he smiled and once he saw Eggsy give a sigh of relief he said, “You’re going to have to make them shoot their dog.”

He flew up out of his chair, “ _What_?! Merlin, what the fuck? Why you lot gotta make these tests so fucked up? Why the dog? That’s fucking awful!”

“Eggsy,” he was only calm because he knew this was going to happen, “Let me finish, please?”

He crossed his arms over his chest, fighting the urge to storm out the door, “Fine.”

“The gun has a blank in it, lad. The dog will feel a sting but won’t suffer any permanent damage.”

“Yea, ‘cept that they’re not gonna trust their owners ever again.”

“If you really don’t feel comfortable doing it, you don’t have to. That’s fine,” he sounded sincere, “I don’t want to make you do anything that you’re not alright with.”

He stood there, brows furrowed in thought, “They’re really not gonna get hurt?”

“No. It’ll be a split-second pain and then it’ll be over.”

He collapsed back down into his chair, “Fine, I’ll do it.”

“You hate me a little bit now, don’t you?”

It got Eggsy to laugh, “I don’ hate you, Guv. I just don’t get why you gotta come up with the most fucked up tests on the face of the planet. Like, what is the point of this test anyway?”

“Depends on who you ask, actually.”

“Aight, give me all the perspectives, then.”

Merlin laughed, “Well, there’s the one where people say it really doesn’t have a justifiable purpose. And I’m assuming that’s where you stand currently. But, some say it’s about trust, that you should trust that the bullet is a blank, that we wouldn’t ask you to do something that would hurt an innocent person, or in this case, dog. I go back and forth on how I feel about that. Because I don’t think that there’s ever been a recruit who received their orders on this and thought, ‘There’s no way they would _really_ make me do this.’”

“I think that faith would go away after being drugged and strapped to a set of train tracks.”

He chuckled and shook his head, but continued, “Others say that it’s to prove that even if you have an emotional attachment to something, it won’t get in the way of following your orders. Sentiment has no place out in the field, and this test is to make sure that the recruits have the ability to stay professional.”

Eggsy swallowed hard. All he could think about was Harry and Goodwell, and how that whole situation had gotten so out on control. The reason it did was because Harry had done just what Merlin had said this test was trying to train out of their agents. “Guess it’s not always a’hundred percent accurate, yea?”

Merlin knew exactly what he was talking about, “Things change, lad.”

He subconsciously reached up and touched the scar on his neck, “Yea, I guess so.”

Concern crossed Merlin’s face, “If you think this is going to bring up some bad memories, you don’t have to do it. Really, it’s alright.”

Eggsy shook his head, “I’ll be fine, Guv. Just lemme know when you need me, yea?”

 

James was looking around in absolute wonder at the weapons room. Everything he could’ve ever needed or wanted while in the field was plastered all over the walls. Harry was standing in front of him, currently explaining the signet ring. James was listening, but he couldn’t stop himself from gawking at everything else in the room. Never in a million years did he think he would be involved with something like this. Even when he’d been in the Navy, he didn’t know what his endgoal with it all was.

“This is amazing,” he said quietly.

Harry smiled, “That’s usually the reaction.”

“No, no, you don’t understand,” he sat down on the bench, “Even when I was in the Navy, I never saw anything like this. This is incredible.”

Harry chuckled as he put the ring back in its place, “I wouldn’t quite compare our operation to the Navy, James. That’s a bit like apples and oranges.”

He smiled, nodded, “I suppose,” he looked around, “Hey, Harry, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“How’d you meet my dad? Was it through Kingsman?”

A laugh escaped him, “No, no. Nothing like this at all actually,” he sat down next to him, “I met your father in a bar. In a bar _fight_ to be specific.”

His face brightened, “No shit?”

Harry smiled at the slightly hazy memory, “I don’t remember it all that clearly. I was sitting at the bar, enjoying a perfectly fine pint of Guinness, when suddenly there was a lot of yelling and cursing, then the crack that everyone knew was someone’s fist colliding with someone else’s face.”

James’s face was alight with interest, “Was my dad the one hitting the guy?”

“Unfortunately, no,” Harry shook his head with a laugh, “Your father was the one getting hit.”

He laughed, “Classic. Why was the guy fighting him?”

“Your father got between the man and whatever girl he had been pursuing that night,” the grin on his face wouldn’t fade, “In the girl’s favor, of course. Apparently this other man had no understanding of the word _no_.”

James smiled, “Yea, that sounds like Dad, always ready for whoever needs help.”

“I’m assuming it was going well, until the other man stood up and suddenly your father had to look _up_ at him.”

He buried his face in his hands, trying and failing at holding back his laughter, “I can picture that.”

Harry nodded, “It was quite the sight. But after that first punch was followed by the sound of your father’s head smacking off the edge of the bar,” he cringed slightly as though he heard it all over again, “that’s when I stepped in.”

“You clean house, mate?”

He smirked, “Perhaps that’s a bit strong of a term. There were too many people there for me to have handled the situation the way I would’ve liked.”

“Would’ve used one of these,” he gestured to the whole room, “I’m guessing?”

“If only. But, as it stood, I just had to fight him the old-fashioned way,” he stood up, straightening his jacket, “Off to the next stop?”

“Wait a minute,” he sounded almost concerned, “I wanna know what you did to that guy!”

Harry laughed, “Nothing worth writing home about, I assure you. He had a busted nose, a missing tooth or two, and a black eye when I was done with him. Then I helped your father outside into the cold air to help bring him back into reality.”

“And you two just stayed friends after that?”

He smiled, “I had to drop him off at his flat. He and your mother were living together by that point. She assured me that she’d have him get in touch with me to thank me properly when he was a bit more himself.”

James grinned as he stood up, “That’s great. You know, all these years and my dad has never told me that story.”

“Well,” he chuckled as they walked back into the shop, “it’s not one of his finest moments. I’m certain he didn’t want to tell his son about the time he got knocked out in some downtown bar.”

“I guess that’s fair,” he looked around, letting his eyes adjust to the light outside, “Where to now?”

“Do you want to see where I met your father?”

“Hell yea!”

Harry laughed, “Alright. I’m not sure what the place is like anymore. I haven’t been there in a very long time. It was a bit more suiting when I was young and, well, a bit more strong-headed.”

“It was one’a those crumby little pubs, wasn’t it?” James had a smug grin on his face, enjoying the fact that even though Harry wanted only the most perfectly tailored suits, the best fabrics for his ties, and the most perfectly aged wines, he used to frequent at a little no-name pub. James had been to his fair share of them, but he couldn’t ever picture Harry in one, with dim lights and filthy bathroom floors, it just didn’t seem to fit together.

“How’d you know the person who recruited you?” he asked as they walked down the sidewalk.

“He was a family friend,” Harry nodded, smiling, “He grew up with my parents. I knew him as Uncle Jack until he became my mentor. After that he was _Uncle Percival_.”

James laughed, “That’s good, mate.”

Harry nodded, "It was nice to do missions with him for as long as I did."

The two of them stopped at the end of the block, and Harry got a taxi. He opened the door for James, “It’s a bit far to walk to.”

The two of them sat next to each other in the back. James laughed when he noticed the Kingsman emblem on the inside of the door. “Is there anything Kingsman doesn’t have?”

Harry shook his head, “I do suppose we have a little bit of everything.”

“It’s mental, Harry, honestly,” he laughed, “You guys have everything you could ever want at your fingertips,” he sighed, his face growing a little more serious, “What’s it really like working here, though? I mean, is it all it’s cracked up to be?”

He nodded, “All that and then some, James. It’s not always easy, but it is worth it.”

“You think I’m ready for all of this, Harry?”

His face grew serious, “Of course I do. I’ve never had a doubt.”

James smiled and nodded, leaning back against the seat of the taxi as they wove through the streets, watching all the building fly by. All he needed to do now was avoid screwing up. He had no idea what was coming, but he hoped that if Harry had faith in him, then maybe he could manage pulling it off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big stuff coming up, my friends. Stay tuned. ^.^


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been while, but I promise I haven't forgotten about this fic! Hope you like the chapter. :)

“Eggsy,” Merlin’s tone was gentle but firm, “is there anyone you absolutely don’t want to administer this test to?”

He sighed, “That’s like the lesser of three evils, bruv,” he ran his hand back through his hair, “But if I get a choice, please don’ make me do this to Rebecca. I’d feel fuckin’ awful.”

Merlin nodded, “Alright, that’s fine,” he nodded to the door of the lab, “Head upstairs. I’ll send Louis up in a minute.”

Eggsy swallowed hard and nodded before making his way to the door, picking up the gun on his way. It felt heavy in his hand, like it was made of lead. He didn’t know if that was a bit of residual trauma, or the fact that he knew what the gun was intended for. He made his way through the halls of HQ, wondering how he was going to gather up the guts to do all this. He liked all the candidates, and even as the moments went by he still couldn’t picture himself handing the gun to Louis and telling him to shoot his dog.

He walked into the room and looked around; it was nice enough, just like everything in Headquarters. It was in a part of the building that he’d never really cared to go through before. Everyone said that they were just meeting rooms, so Eggsy figured it wasn’t anything of interest.

He didn’t know how he was supposed to go about all of this. Should he sit, wait for Louis to come in, and then just flat-out tell him to shoot his dog? Merlin hadn’t really given him too much instruction on it. He was kind enough to tell Eggsy what he usually says, and he figured that maybe he would just use that. It couldn’t be any worse than anything else he could say.

There was a knock at the door and Eggsy realized that he didn’t have the luxury of time anymore. He straightened himself, shoulders back and all, and took a deep breath before telling Louis to enter the room.

“Hey, Eggsy,” the boy smiled, his beagle happily in tow, “Merlin said I had to come see you.”

He nodded but kept his face as expressionless as possible, not wanting to show how he really felt about this whole test. He held out the gun, “This weapon is live.” The confused look on the boy’s face as he took the gun killed Eggsy and he couldn’t even say anything about it. He nodded towards the beagle, “Shoot the dog.”

His face went paste white, “Wh-what?”

He tucked his hands behind his back to hide the fact that they were trembling, “You heard me. Shoot the dog.”

That sentence was said to two other unsuspecting candidates who held guns in their hands. Every one of them had a dumbfounded look on their face as they stared down at the weapon. There was a long stretch of silence in the three adjacent rooms, the only sound was the heavy, nervous breathing of the three recruits, but that couldn’t be heard across the floor.

Louis shook his head as his hand dropped to his side, “I can’t, mate. I’m sorry. I just, I can’t.”

There was a bang that echoed throughout the entire floor, followed by the yelp of a dog. Louis looked at Eggsy confusedly. His gun was hanging limply from his hand because there was no way he was going to be able to shoot the dog that reminded him of his most beloved childhood pet.

Eggsy held out his hand for the gun back, “I’m sorry, bruv,” he could hardly look Louis in the eye, “It’s time to head home.”

Tears welled up in the boy’s eyes but he nodded, knowing that he’d made the right decision for himself. He shook Eggsy’s hand, knowing that none of this was his fault either, “Thanks for everything, mate.”

He walked quickly out of the room and his dog followed innocently at the boy’s heels, oblivious to what was just about to happen. When the door closed Eggsy collapsed back into his chair, feeling worse than he had felt in a long time. He couldn’t believe that he had really just done that.

Meanwhile, the scene in the room next to his was very similar. Rebecca was staring at Arthur in utter disbelief. She tossed the gun onto the table, shaking her head, “There’s no way you could expect me to do that.”

There was a smug grin on his face, “It’s the simplest order I’ve ever given you, Rebecca.”

Her eyes turned cold, “It’s the _only_ order you’ve ever given me, Arthur. I haven’t seen you this entire time. For the head of operations around here you’re awfully absent.” She knew that she shouldn’t be talking to him that way but if she was going home she might as well go for broke, “It’s absolutely mental that you would ask that of me. No one could ever-” and that’s when the sound went off.

Arthur shrugged, “One of the boys did. Might be for the best, then.”

She felt her blood boiling in her veins, and the urge to grab the gun and pop one in the side of his head rather than her dog’s was awfully inviting. She clenched her jaw for a moment until she knew she wouldn’t say anything incredibly stupid. She whistled for her dog to follow her and didn’t offer Arthur so much as a goodbye, not that he deserved one from her anyway.

James stood there in front of Merlin, hands still trembling uncontrollably as he gripped the gun. His dog laid there on the ground for a few moments, stunned temporarily. But James noticed that there was no blood, and his dog’s breathing was still relatively normal, not as labored like it would’ve been if he had been shot with a real, live ammo  
He checked the bullets, looking at Merlin in shock, “They’re….they’re blanks.”

Merlin nodded and held out his hand, “Welcome to Kingsman.”

James put the gun on the table, his hands steadying the slightest bit. He let out a nervous laugh and shook his head as he grasped Merlin’s hand in his own, “That’s fucked, mate.”

He couldn’t help but to chuckle, “So I’ve been told. I’ll go fetch Arthur.”

James knelt down on the floor next to his dog, gently petting him and apologizing a million times over for what he’d just done. There was part of him that couldn’t really believe that he’d done it. He stood back up again at the sound of the door opening. He smoothed out his slacks and stood at attention, waiting for Arthur to say his piece.

He nodded and held his hand out to the boy, “Well done. Welcome to Kingsman, Bors.”

James smiled and shook the man’s hand without a word, not really sure what to say, or if he could even force himself to talk. The two gentlemen dismissed him, telling him that he could go give Harry the good news. The young boy nodded, but as he took a step to leave, he stopped and looked down at his dog.

He cleared his throat, “When’s he, you know, gonna be okay?”

Merlin gave an assuring nod, “Soon, lad. No need to worry.”

James nodded, hesitantly waiting around for another moment before turning and leaving the room. He gently shut the door behind him and let out a shaky sigh. He felt like he had been holding his breath ever since he walked into the room. Part of him knew that it was a test, but he thought that the test was to _actually_ kill the dog. He was glad he was wrong a least about that part.

He knocked on the door to Harry’s office, feeling a bit unnerved still from all the adrenaline in his system. He heard Harry cue him in, and he took a deep breath before pushing the door open.

Harry smiled at him, “How are you, James?”

“I,” he collapsed in a chair in front of his desk, “I’m in, Harry. I made it.”

Harry nodded and stood up, walking around to the other side of his desk. He held his hand out to James, pulling him up out of the chair and into a hug, “I’m proud of, James. Bloody well done.”

James smiled and cherished the moment before taking a small step back, “Thank you, Harry. There’s no way I could’ve gotten through all of this without you.”

He smiled at the young man in front of him, resting his hand on his shoulder, “You’re going to be great here. I can tell.”

That was the greatest thing that he had ever heard. Having Arthur and Merlin induct him on the spot was great and all, but there was a certain kind of sincerity in Harry’s voice that made James feel like now he was _really_ in Kingsman. And he couldn’t wait to see where he was going to go from there.

 

Harry got home that night, feeling accomplished but more relieved than anything. He had faith in James, but it was anyone’s game really. All three of the final recruits seemed like they had an equal chance to be the next Bors.

He heard sizzling coming from the kitchen, and the sounds of one of his records echoing throughout the house. He smiled as he hung his jacket up in the closet. Eggsy was in the kitchen, humming along to the melody as he went back and forth between the pans on the stove, and Harry just watched silently, smiling.

Without looking away from what he was doing, Eggsy spoke up, “You gonna just stan’ there? Or you gonna come over here and gimme a kiss?”

Harry laughed and walked over, wrapping his arms around Eggsy’s waist. He placed a kiss on his temple, nuzzling against the side of Eggsy’s face and making the young man laugh. “How ya feelin’, Love?”

He kissed Eggsy’s head and ear, “Relieved. Like I can sleep alright again.”

Eggsy chuckled, “Well that’s good. James excited?”

Harry laughed, sliding his hands so they rested on Eggsy’s hips, “I think he’s more excited about his dog being alright than making it into Kingsman.”

Eggsy’s body tensed up for a moment, “Can’t say I blame him fer that one.”

He kissed Eggsy’s neck, “I know you didn’t want anything to do with this.”

He shrugged, trying to brush it off, “I just, I dunno, I feel bad for ‘em. I never woulda been able to do that. Louis looked like I tried to rip his heart outta his fuckin’ chest.”

“I can imagine. Did you see Rebecca before she left?”

Eggsy shook his head, still moving things around on the stovetop, “No, why?”

“I guess she gave Arthur a piece of her mind.”

Eggsy laughed, nodding, “Tha’ sounds about right. Bet she had no use fer that.”

“I think this was the first time in a long time that we didn’t really want to see any of the final recruits leave training like that.”

“Can’t you lot just make more spots at the round table or somethin’?” he laughed but was completely serious.

Harry chuckled and shook his head, “It’s not up to me, my Dear.”

Eggsy turned the stove off and covered everything up to keep it warm. For the first time he turned around and faced Harry, a tired smile on his face as he gently rested his hands behind the man’s neck. He idly played with the ends of Harry’s hair, “You wanna eat now, Love?”

Harry nodded, “I’m just going to change first.”

“Alright. Here or the living room?”

Harry smiled, “Living room is fine.”

Eggsy stood up onto his tiptoes and kissed him on the lips, tangling his fingers further into the man’s hair for a few moments. He shut his eyes and didn’t have to think about the rest of the day while his lips were pressed against Harry’s; he was too busy getting lost in the fact that he got to kiss this man whenever he wanted.

“I won’t be gone for _that_ long,” Harry said with a soft smile when Eggsy stopped kissing him.

Eggsy chuckled, playfully pushing him towards the stairs, “Oh go on, then. I’ll miss you,” he added dramatically.

Harry shook his head as he went towards the stairs, “I’m sure.”

Once dinner was done and the dishes were put away, the two of them found themselves lounged across the couch. Harry had his elbow propped up on the arm of the sofa with a book in his one hand while the other hand ran through Eggsy’s hair.

Eggsy propped a tablet against his legs and slowly worked his way through a few more of his school assignments while his head was rested against Harry’s side. It was surprisingly manageable with his online classes and work. He was impressed with himself for being able to keep his grades up even though more often than not school was just an afterthought. He’d never say that to Harry or Alex though; he was cocky but he didn’t have a death wish.

Harry idly curled his fingers into Eggsy’s hair, “You handling everything alright, Eggsy?”

He nodded, letting out a sigh as he sent one more assignment off to his professor, “Yea. I mean, I think so,” he laughed, “I’m still passin’ and all.”

Harry smiled down at him, closing his book, “If it’s too overwhelming, I’m sure Merlin would understand you needing time off to focus on your studies.”

Eggsy looked up at him, a disbelieving look on his face, “I’d give up school before I gave up my job, bruv.”

He chuckled, shaking his head, “I’m not sure that’s quite the attitude that you should have, Darling.”

“Well, I dunno, school isn’t gonna get my mum and sis outta that flat with Dean, now is it?”

“Is that why you’re doing this? To take care of your mother and sister?”

Eggsy shrugged, slumping so that his head was resting in Harry’s lap, “I mean, I like what I do and it’s nice to feel like I’m act’ally good and needed. But they’re always at the back of my mind, yea?”

Harry had a soft smile on his face, gently running his fingers through the boy’s hair, “That’s quite courageous of you, Eggsy, to always be putting their needs into the equation like that. But have you ever thought that maybe doing something for yourself is the best way to help them?”

“What do you think I’m doin’, bruv? Christ, I don’ _like_ school, aight? I just seem ta be good at it. An’ I was way more in my comfort zone doin’ shit for Dean’s crew and getting paid despite the fact that I got banged up a lot. Everythin’ I’m doing now is ‘cos I know that shit won’ last forever, and when it runs out I’ve got nothin’ ta fall back on. I’m tryna get my shit tagether for me, yea. But I needa get it together for them, too. Daisy ain’t got any say in what happens to her right now, and my mum thinks she doesn’t either. I’ve just gotta be stable enough to get things headed in the righ’ direction.”

He hadn’t expected that. He was glad, though, that Eggsy was finally letting it out. He knew that at the end of the day family was always going to be at the top of Eggsy’s list. “You _are_ headed in the right direction, Eggsy. And for what it’s worth, I’m very proud of you.”

His lips kicked up into a smirk, “Thanks, ‘Arry. I know I’m not always the easiest to deal with.”

He smiled, shaking his head, “Nonsense. It’s been a pleasure dealing with you.”

Eggsy yawned, stretching out from head to toe, sticking his arms above his head, “I dunno about you, Love, but I’m ready for bed.”

“I’ll be right up,” Harry reached forward and gently touched Eggsy’s hand as he went to go upstairs.

Harry walked in, smiling at the sight of Eggsy curled up underneath the covers. Even though he saw it nearly every night, it never failed to fill his chest with a warmth that he hadn’t felt in far too long. All the months that had gone by and never once had he had the heart to tell Eggsy that he was sleeping on what used to be Harry’s side of the bed.  
He strolled to the far side of the bed, sliding under the covers and immediately getting as close to Eggsy as he possibly could. He wrapped his arms around the boy’s waist and nuzzled his face against his neck.

There was a hint of a smirk on Eggsy’s face that Harry couldn’t see. In his half-sleep daze he put his hands on top of Harry’s and mumbled out, “I love you, ‘Arry.”

He opened his eyes, body freezing for a moment. When he saw that he wasn’t about to say anything more or take it back, Harry let his eyes flutter shut again, whispering, “I love you too, Eggsy.”


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy this very Eggsy-centered chapter. ^.^

As the days turned into weeks, it seemed as though James fell right into the routine of things at Kingsman. He was very quiet and reserved at first, but he was slowly starting to come out of his shell. It certainly helped that he had Harry around most of the time, and when he didn’t Eggsy was only ever a floor or two away.

Eggsy, who had taken to having his own personal brand of rebellion against Arthur. He kept in extensive touch with Rebecca and Louis, something that Merlin and Harry both warned him about. They knew it would start some waves where perhaps there shouldn’t be any, but they also knew better than anyone that there was no stopping Eggsy now that he’d made up his mind.

Arthur had made side-comments about it now and again, and Eggsy would look at the man with a smug grin, and with a deadpan tone tell Arthur that he was just making sure that the candidates were alright after all that they had been through, a courtesy that certainly hadn’t been extended to him when he needed it most.

“Does that really require you meeting up with them, and bringing Bors along?” Eggsy stood in front of the desk in Arthur’s office, not for the first time and certainly not the last.

He shrugged, “They were all friends, and James ‘as been havin’ a rough time with a few things. I think it’s good fer ‘em to keep in touch, honestly.”

Arthur sighed, “This isn’t going to get you anywhere with them, you know.”

“I don’ know what you mean, bruv.”

“I _mean_ that I know you wanted all three of them to stay with us. But that’s not how it works.”

“Why not? What would be so bad about havin’ a couple extra agents on deck? This is a fuckin’ worldwide operation and yer tellin’ me that there’s not room for two more recruits?”

“We can’t just start letting every candidate stay. This operation would be overrun and our cover blown in no time at all.”

“That’s bollocks. But that’s not the point. You an’ I, an’ everyone else around here for that matter, all know that these three were _all_ Kingsman material.”

“And how would _you_ know what Kingsman material is, Eggsy? By all means you shouldn’t even still be here. Not even your father made the cut, and he was a bit better off than you at least.”

“ _Ay_ ,” he snapped, “Don’ you _dare_ bring my dad inta this. That’s fucked,” he took a deep breath, “An’ if you don’t want me here, get fuckin’ ridda me. But I’ll bet what little I’ve got on the fact that no one else around here will let you.”

“This isn’t a democracy, Eggsy. It’s a dictatorship. A benevolent one, but still a dictatorship. If I want you gone, you’re gone.”

He shrugged, “Then do it. Ban me from here and wipe me from yer systems,” he leaned forward, resting his hands on Arthur’s desk, “But you won’t.”

“We’ll see,” the only thing on his face that gave away any sort of emotion at that point was the look in his eyes, which were squinted just the slightest bit in distaste, “You’re dismissed.”

Eggsy walked out as calmly as he could, still shutting the door to Arthur’s office a little harder than what was necessary. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and trying to calm down a bit before heading off to Harry’s office. He needed to blow off steam and he knew better than to get Merlin going on the topic as well.

He knocked and was immediately given the cue to enter. Harry looked up from his desk, smiling, “It’s nice to see you making that a regular practice, Darling.”

He gave a half-smile, “Yea, I’m tryin’.”

“Is everything alright?”

“Is there a way to impeach Arthur?”

Harry sighed; he knew that the meeting with those two wasn’t going to go well, “What happened?”

“’E’s just such a prick, ‘Arry,” he collapsed into a chair in front of the man’s desk, “For fuck’s sake he told me he’s gonna fire me ‘cos I’m keeping in touch with Rebecca and Louis,” he rolled his eyes, “Like _that’s_ the worst thing I’ve ever done.”

There was a soft smile gracing Harry’s face, “Eggsy, I know it’s frustrating, but we’re all forced to play by Arthur’s rules.”

He lifted his face up out of his hands, “If he left who would become the next Arthur? You lot wouldn’ bring in a new recruit for that, right?”

Harry shook his head, “The longest standing field agent would become the next Arthur. Or, rather, the longest standing field agent _who is willing to be promoted_ would become the next Arthur.”

“Who’s that, then?”

Harry looked back down at his desk, “The field agent who’s been here the longest is me,” he idly scribbled away on files.

Eggsy’s eyes widened, “ _What_?”

He chuckled, “That shouldn’t surprise you, my dear. I’m only young up here,” he tapped the side of his head with his pen, “after all.”

“But, but Harry, that means _you_ could be Arthur!”

He sighed, “I’m not sure. I don’t know if I really want to do that, dealing with all the paper work and not going on as many missions.”

“Well it won’t havta be that way, right? Like, you’ll be in charge.”

He laughed, shaking his head, “You’re something else, Eggsy,” his face sobered up a bit, “But all that aside, he’ll have to retire first, and if it hasn’t happened yet I don’t think it’s going to. Although with the way things have been going, you might just drive him to it.”

Eggsy leaned back, a smug little smirk on his face, “I’m just sayin’, it would be pretty cool ta say I’m dating the boss.”

He looked at him over the rims of his glasses, “Really, Eggsy?”

“What?” he beamed, “It’s true.”

Harry simply shook his head, not wanting to feed into the ideas and many musings that Eggsy had, “Are you alright now? All calmed down for the time being?”

He smirked and shrugged, “Yea, yea I guess,” he got up out of his chair, “Least till the next time I havta talk to Arthur.”

“For your sake, Darling, I hope that that’s later rather than sooner.”

“”You an’ me both,” he winked as he opened the door, “I’ll see you at home, yea? Love you.”

He couldn’t help but to smile, “Love you too, Eggsy. Stay out of trouble.”

“No promises,” he said with a smile just before shutting the door behind him.

Harry leaned back in his chair, shaking his head but he couldn’t fight the smile that was creeping onto his face, “There never are.”

Eggsy made his way back down to the lab. He sat down in his chair, mulling over everything that he’d just gone through. He was brought back to reality by Merlin’s voice.  
“Everything alright, lad?”

Eggsy looked over, “Harry would be the next Arthur?”

Merlin laughed, “Why, are you planning a coup d'état?”

He smirked, “Maybe.”

“Well, be careful. If you try something and get caught there won’t be much I can do to help.”

“I wouldn’t get caught.”

“You say that with an awful lot of certainty, Eggsy.”

He laughed, “I ain’t ever got caught.”

Merlin raised his eyebrows, “Eggsy, I’ve seen your records. The fact that you _have_ records means you’ve been caught.”

“Only when I was takin’ heat fer someone else, Guv.”

He shook his head, smiling slightly, “You’re something else entirely, Eggsy.”

There were a few beats of silence until Eggsy finally asked, “You think Arthur ever will retire though, Merlin?”

“Contrary to popular belief, yes. He loves being in control here but I think he realizes he’s losing that control. He might quit while he can still go out with a shred or two of dignity,” he paused, “But Eggsy?”

“Yea?”

He shook his head, “It’s not something you should hold your breath over.”

He sighed, nodding as he turned back to his monitor, “Yea, I know.”

 

That night, Eggsy was sprawled out on the couch with his laptop resting on his stomach as he forced himself through another reading for school. He felt like he was starting to go cross-eyed by the tenth page of it. He leaned his head back and stared up at the ceiling for a moment.

His phone started buzzing against the table, and he glanced over to see if it was worth answer. When he saw Alex’s name and photo flashing on the screen he immediately answered, “Hello?”

“Ay, bruv!” he sounded as cheerful as ever, and Eggsy could hear music thumping in the background, “What’re you doing tonight?”

Eggsy chuckled, knowing exactly where this all was going, “I’m at ‘Arry’s. why?”

“Come out with us, mate! It’s been forever since you did something fun.”

He bit back a laugh, “Not tonight, bruv. I’m exhausted, and I’ve got shit fer school that I still havta do.”

“Aight, well, if you change yer mind-”

“You’ll be the first ta know,” he sighed, “Call me if you guys need a ride, yea?”

“Psh, nah. Ryan’s DD. We’re set.”

Eggsy pressed his fingers to his temple; his faith in Ryan’s ability to stay sober wasn’t exactly strong, “Just, call me when yer about ta leave, aight? I don’ care what time it is. I’ll have my phone.”

“Yea, yea, alright, _Mum_.”

“Don’ make me drag your mum inta this, Alex. I will, ya know.”

“Whatever. Have fun with your boyfriend.”

“Have fun with your boyfriend _s_ ,” he laughed when he heard the click of Alex hanging up on the other end of the line.

A few minutes later there was the sound of the front door being unlocked, and Eggsy shook his head because no matter how much time went by he still thought it excessive to have so many locks on one door. Harry’s voice chimed through the house, and Eggsy called that he was sinking into the couch cushions.

Harry walked over, looking down at him with a smile, “You look comfortable.”

“Yea, ‘cept my brain is about to explode.”

He took the laptop and set it on the table, “Then maybe it’s best you take a break,” he sat down on the edge of the couch so he could fuss with Eggsy’s hair, “Did you eat yet?”

He nodded, “Yea, sorry, Love. I was dying when I got home, though.”

He laughed, “No need to apologize. I had dinner at Headquarters with Merlin.”

“’E’s still there?”

“He never really leaves,” he kissed Eggsy on the forehead and went upstairs to change into a more comfortable set of clothes.

Eggsy didn’t know what time it was when his phone started going off. If someone had asked him he wouldn’t have even been able to tell them what day it was. He groaned slightly as he reached and grabbed his phone off the nightstand mumbling out a drowsy, “Hello?”

“Eggsy, bruv,” Alex sounded almost too drunk to form sentences, “I think. I think we might need,” he laughed, “a driver.”

He sighed, forcing himself upright, “I’ll be there in a bit. Your car there?”

“’Course it is.”

“Aight. Stay put,” he yawned as he hung up the phone.

Harry propped himself up on one elbow, eyes not even completely open, “Everything alright?”

Eggsy smiled at the sight of him, kissing the man on the forehead before sliding out of bed to get his clothes, “I havta go get the guys. They’re wasted at a club, stranded ‘cos their DD didn’t stay sober. I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Do you really have to go?”

Eggsy laughed, “There’s no way Alex is gonna let his car stay out there overnight,” he pulled his jeans up and kissed Harry quickly on the lips, “Be right back. Go back to sleep, Love.”

Harry rested his head back onto the pillow, “Be safe, Eggsy. I love you.”

He stood in the doorway smiling for a moment, “I love you too.”

Sure enough, when he got to the club, the whole crew of them were waiting patiently outside. Eggsy laughed as he took the keys from Ryan, “Nice work, bruv. Real bang-up job at stayin’ sober.”

“Shut up.”

He unlocked the car and opened the doors, “Everyone in. C’mon some of us have lives to live tomorrow,” he shut the door after Jamal clamored in, “There we go.”

He drove as fast as he could without attracting attention to himself. The last thing he needed at this point was something as trivial and annoying as a speeding ticket. But all he wanted was to be back at home with Harry.

He made sure that everyone made it safely inside. He double-checked that no one was on the brink of puking, and once he determined that everyone was alright and would be until morning, he tossed the car keys onto Alex’s nightstand and headed for the door. He heard a muffled thank you and smiled to himself as he headed back across the street.

Harry’s house was silent as Eggsy made his way up the stairs to the bedroom. When he reached the doorway, he let his eyes adjust a little better to the darkness before trying to find his way to the bed without falling into anything. He smiled as he saw Harry lying diagonally across the entirety of the bed. He wondered if this is how the man always slept when Eggsy wasn’t there.

He pulled his jeans and shirt off and sat on the edge of the bed. He slid under the covers while carefully nudging Harry so he’d have some room to lie down. Harry stirred a bit and Eggsy kissed him on the lips, mumbling, “Scooch over,” before curling up against Harry’s chest.

Morning came around and when Eggsy woke up Harry had already gotten out of bed. He sat upright and stretched, straining his ear to try and figure out where Harry was. The house was practically silent and as Eggsy wandered around the upstairs, he began to realize that Harry wasn’t home.

He walked downstairs to the kitchen and found a note on the counter. He picked it up, trying to focus his eyes enough to read it, _“Sorry, Darling, got called in very early for a last-minute meeting. Merlin said it was urgent. I took a taxi so you can take my car. See you soon. Love, Harry”_

He sighed, shaking his head. He knew that this meant Harry would be going off on another mission. There was no avoiding it, though, and it was bound to happen eventually. But the fact that Harry had been home for so long while his recruit was in training was like a little mini vacation to Eggsy because he knew he’d be coming home to the man every night. He didn’t want that to end.

He got dressed and made his way down to HQ. He’d never driven Harry’s car before but he never wanted to drive any other car ever again afterwards because of how nicely that one handled. He’d have to look into getting one for himself one of these days.

He found his way to Merlin’s office, relieved to see the man there so he could ask what the Hell was going on. “Ay, Guv.”

Merlin turned, his face serious, but he nodded, “Good morning, Eggsy.”

“What’s going on? ‘Arry left a note saying he got called in fer something urgent.”

He sighed, “He and Bors are going off on a last-minute escapade.”

“Where?”

“Istanbul.”

His eyes widened, “For how long??”

“I don’t know yet.”

“What’re they there for?”

“Ironically enough, there’s been rumors and murmurs of a coup.”

Eggsy sighed, “We’re sending them there on _rumors_?”

“To the _public_ , it’s rumors. Not to us. You think I would send them off on a hunch?”

He looked down at the ground, “Yer, right. Sorry, Guv.”

“It’s alright.”

“Is this a high-risk sorta thing?”

“Everything we do has a risk level, Eggsy.”

He bit the inside of his cheek, “So it is.”

“Harry knows what he’s doing.”

“His partner don’t, though!”

Merlin sighed, “If you being here is going to be a problem, I can have you put on shop detail. Or, you can be on leave while he’s on his mission. It can’t always be like this, though. You know how this job goes.”

Eggsy nodded, “I know, I know,” he collapsed into his chair, “I’m sorry, Merlin. I’ll be fine, I swear. It’s jus’ been a while since Harry’s had to go off. And…it’s been nice.”

There was a soft smile on his face; he knew the feeling, “I know, lad. But he’ll be back soon enough.”

“Is he gone already?”

“I sent them off right after they were briefed.”

“Shit.”

“I’m sorry, Eggsy.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I just wanted ta say goodbye, y’know?”

“If it’s any comfort, he’ll be able to communicate a little more on this mission than his last.”

A smile crossed Eggsy’s face; that news was a bit of a comfort. “Thanks, Guv.”


	41. Chapter 41

Three weeks into their mission and things were finally boiling down to what they were there for. Merlin hadn’t expected it to take that long, but James hadn’t quite found his grace yet and it’s always hard for new recruits to be undercover for extended periods of time. A time or two they were almost found out, not as Kingsman Agents per se, but as people who were there to thwart the assassins’ attempts nonetheless.

“Maybe you should do this part alone,” James couldn’t even try to hide his nerves as he struggled with his tie.

Harry smiled, having been in the young man’s position before. He shook his head, “Nonsense. You stuck it out this far, so it’s only right that you see this to completion.”

James finally managed to get his tie straight, “What if I’m not ready? What if I can’t do whatever it is I’m gonna have to do?”

Merlin’s voice chirped in, “If you’re stuck there a bit longer because things go wrong you’ll have Eggsy to deal with, James.”

It got him to laugh, “That’s a bit more daunting than anything else.”

“Then let it be your motivation, lad. And from the looks of it, this should be fairly simple. I’m in the security system and I’ll be able to get you both through undetected. At that point all you have to do is subdue them somehow.”

He laughed, a bit of sarcasm hanging in his voice, “Is that all?”

“I’m always here if you have any questions, and Harry will always have your six. Take a deep breath. Nerves are going to make this ten times harder than it needs to be,” he took a breath, “Let me know if I’m needed. Until then: Merlin, signing off.”

James swallowed hard, “Bors, signing off.” He looked back over at Harry, envious of how calm the man seemed to be.

Harry saw the look on his face. He walked over and fussed with his collar for a moment while giving him a few gentle reminders, “James, you’re literally a walking, talking weapon. Your clothing and accessories alone give you about seven ways to subdue people, and that’s without killing them. Not to mention your combat and defense skills that you acquired in training,” he looked him in the eye, “and the Navy.”

He nodded slightly, trying to calm his thoughts, “I know. I’ve just never done this before. Not like this, anyway. How do you know I won’t freeze up?”

“I don’t.” James’ eyes widened, but before he could speak Harry beat him to it, “I don’t even know if I’ll freeze up or not. But, all the same, I think that when the time comes we’ll both do what he have to do.”

James nodded, taking a deep breath, “I hope you’re right.”

“I am, more often than not.”

Merlin kept true to his word, and the two of them were able to get through the back entrance of the building and up to the room where the assassins were planning on taking their victim.

The two of them stared at the door for a few moments, and Harry nodded forward, urging James to step forward. The young man took a deep breath before knocking, three times, then two times, then four times. Then they waited. There was the click of a lock being undone, followed by another, followed by another. The door was opened slightly and a man, only about ten years older than James, looked through at them. He made no attempt to hide how skeptical he was.

“Who’re you?”

“Jackson,” his voice was surprisingly calm, “and this is Edwards,” he nodded towards Harry.

“Who sent you?”

“Williams,” Harry spoke up.

“He didn’t tell me about any of this.”

“That’s not our fault,” James said, his assertiveness starting to shine through.

There were a few beats of silence before the man finally opened the door. James fought to hide his shock as he saw a man strapped into a chair. He must’ve gotten his timetables wrong. The man was alive, but now their time restraints were a bit different than they had bargained for. It was no longer about beating the assassins to the punch, now it was about making sure they stopped everything before it got too far out of hand.

“We’ve nearly got the information that we need,” the man who opened the door spoke up, “Since Williams sent you instead of bothering to show up himself,” he rolled his eyes, “You can have him once we’re done with him. Finish off the job. Make it clean, make it quick.”

James could feel his heart pounding inside his chest, so much so that he had to assume that everyone else in the room could hear it.

The man was bound at his wrists and ankles, bruises and cuts on his face and neck. James felt his stomach turn and for a moment Harry flashed back to when Eggsy had been in the very same position.

“Now,” he man turned back around to his victim, “back to business. This is the last time that I’m going to ask nicely…”

James tuned it all out as he took in his surroundings. It was him and Harry, along with five adversaries, and the man they were in charge of rescuing. They were in a fairly small room, and James knew that once the first shot was fired all Hell was going to break loose, and there would be no getting away from it.

James looked over at Harry, waiting for some sort of cue, but Harry never looked back at him. The man’s eyes were glued to the situation unfolding in front of him. James shut his eyes for a moment, praying to some higher power for a sign as to what he should do, and when he should do it.

It just so happens that his higher power had a Scottish accent, “Bors, I don’t know what Galahad is waiting for, but snap him back to reality. If you don't do anything now you won't be get another opportunity. The two men to your left don’t have guns, so worry about them last.” James took a shaky breath, but Merlin disregarded it and continued, “As much as I’d like to tell you to let your guns blaze, that’s not the way you should really go about this. Don’t kill unless it’s absolutely necessary. Shoot legs, hands, knee-caps are good. Non-fatal things.”

James felt like the inside of his head was on fire. Meanwhile, Harry still seemed like his mind was elsewhere. He took a deep breath, glancing at all the other men around him. He knew better than to distrust Merlin, and he didn’t even worry about the two men on his left. The two to his right were talking to each other. James hadn’t yet mastered too many languages so what they were saying flew right over his head. But it didn’t matter. 

He subtly messed with his watch, putting the dart setting on “stun”. He looked idly around the room before shooting off one dart into one of the men on his right, causing him to instantly collapse. That snapped everyone, including Harry, to attention.

“Hey, what’s wrong with him?” everyone turned and looked at Harry and James, “What did you do to him?”

“We didn’t do anything,” James sounded thoroughly offended at the accusation.

The man who’d been doing all the torturing and talking stepped towards him, placing a hand around James’ throat and squeezing just enough to prove that he wasn’t afraid to follow through and kill him, “Now isn’t the time to _lie_ , boy. We can take three bodies out of this room instead of one.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Harry’s voice, ever calm as he stepped forward, “Let him go.”

“Why should I? I don’t know either of you.”

“And yet you let us in.”

The man let go of James, and his hand returned to his side, reaching for his gun. James lunged forward and punched the man in the neck with his signet ring. And _that’s_ when all Hell broke loose. The man holding his unconscious comrade dropped him and grabbed his gun, firing off two shots at Harry, not that they did any extensive damage since he was wearing his suit. He fired back and shot the man in the knee, causing him to drop to the ground and let go of his gun in the process.

The two men who were unarmed looked at each other, both knowing that they were way out of their depth. But they all had the, “Death before dishonor,” complex and despite the fact that they were only armed with one switchblade each, they stepped forward. James tried to heed Merlin’s words, knowing that killing people wasn’t necessary just yet. He left both his guns holstered as he lunged at one of the men, leaving the other to Harry.

For a few moments it was all just a blur of limbs and a lot of miscellaneous grunting. But somehow, James found himself on top, struggling to push the hand with the knife away from his neck. He slid his wrist, getting a better angle on the man, and forcing his hand down against the floor with a loud _smack_. The man cursed as his grip on the knife loosened, his knuckles beginning to bleed.

James dropped down, driving his elbow right into the man’s face. He did it twice more for good measure, to ensure that he was really unconscious. It was the first violent thing he’d done since his stint in the Navy. It was a little sickening that it was all like riding a bike, and it all came back to him, but he didn’t have time to dwell on that.

He turned and looked at Harry, who’d just jabbed his man in the neck with a dart. The body went limp, slumping down and Harry had to quickly readjust to account for the weight that was now leaning on him.

They looked around the room, each taking a deep breath when they realized that everyone who needed to be unconscious, was. They looked back to the man bound to the chair. James stepped forward and began to undo his bindings.

“Sorry it took us so long in getting here,” he shook his head, “I must’ve gotten misinformation.”

The older man coughed, shaking his head as he gently massaged his wrists, “I heard them saying that they switched things up, afraid that there was a mole somewhere.”

James looked back at Harry, who shook his head. He knew exactly what the boy was thinking: that it was his fault they knew there was a mole. It might’ve been, but now wasn’t the time to discuss it.

“We’ll get you somewhere safe,” James’ tone was reassuring.

Harry chimed in, “Yes. This young man here will escort you to the nearest hospital, where you can call whoever it is that needs to be called. And I’ll deal with,” he looked around the room, “all of this. The authorities will know about it momentarily.”

He man was still confused, not knowing who his rescuers were, but he wasn’t going to argue with it. He nodded and let James lead him out of the room and to the Kingsman taxi that was already awaiting them outside.

Harry had Merlin alert the authorities with an address and floor number of the building. All he had to do was wait. The only downside of that was that there was no way for him to get away from Merlin’s questions.

“Was Bors the almost-mole?”

Harry sighed, “I’m assuming so, yes.”

“He could’ve gotten a dignitary killed, Galahad.”

“I think he’s painfully aware of that, Merlin. You want me to remind him though, just in case?” there was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“Normally I’d say yes, but he seemed to step up and take control when you were frozen in place,” there were a few beats of silence, “What was that, Galahad?”

His eyes were locked on the ground, not that it made much difference, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I just need to know if I should be worried.”

“There’s nothing to be worried about.”

“I hope not. Because I’ll never hear the end of it from your boyfriend if there is.”

It got Harry to crack a smile, “What’s he gotten into?”

“Nothing. He’s just being incessant. I’m about two, _is Harry okay_ ’s away from firing him myself and saving Arthur the trouble.”

He chuckled, “I’ve spoken to him fairly extensively throughout this whole trip.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“I’m sorry, Merlin.”

“I’ll believe that when I can’t hear you holding back laughter. Just get home in one piece.”

 

By the time that Harry and James got back to Headquarters, exhausted was an understatement for how they felt. Both of them were planning on just spending the night in the rooms at HQ and heading home in the morning. Neither of them felt awake enough to drive and to have their Kingsman drivers take them home at the ridiculous hour seemed cruel.

As they made their way down the hall, Harry heard another set of footsteps. He turned around to see a clearly exhausted Eggsy carrying JB like a small child. A soft smile spread across his face as he spoke up.

“What’re you still doing here, Eggsy?”

His head flew up, eyes brightening and exhaustion fading from his face as he took in the sight of Harry. He set JB down and practically sprinted down the hall, tacking Harry in a hug, burying his face in the man’s chest.

“I missed you too,” Harry mumbled into Eggsy’s hair with a laugh.

“You comin’ home t’night?”

“If you’re driving. I’m about to fall asleep right here.”

Eggsy smirked, “Course I’ll drive,” he turned to James, “You wanna stay over? I’ll make breakfast in the morning.”

The young man smiled, “That’d be great. I don’t want to intrude or anything, though.”

Harry shook his head, “Nonsense. You’re always more than welcome, James. Come on, we might as well grab our bags now.”

The three of them tiredly stumbled their way through the house, along with JB pattering directly to his bed in the living room. Eggsy brought James’ bags to the spare bedroom and made sure he got settled in alright. “Lemme know if ya need anythin’, James.”

“Thanks, Eggsy. I really appreciate all this.”

He shrugged, “It’s nothin’,” he paused for a moment, “An’ thanks fer keepin’ ‘Arry safe…Merlin told me what happened.”

James didn’t want to overstep his boundaries, so he simply nodded and said, “He’s my mentor. It’s the least I could do.”

“G’night, James.”

“Goodnight.”

Eggsy wandered to the other end of the hall where Harry’s room was. He walked in and saw Harry flopped back onto the bed, glasses askew since he didn’t even bother to take them off. He sat down on the bed next to him and removed the glasses, running his fingers through the man’s hair.

“I’m glad yer home, Love.”

“Me too,” he mumbled tiredly.

“C’mon,” Eggsy began to mimic his tone, “put some pj’s on, there’s no way you’re going to sleep in _that_.”

Harry chuckled, the humor not escaping him as he got up and fumbled around his dresser drawers. He slid his shirt off over his head, and suddenly Eggsy’s expression went from pleased to worried.

Eggsy bit his lip for a moment, “What happened?”

“What?”

He got up, tracing over the welts on the man’s chest, right over his heart, “These…”

“I was shot, Eggsy. That’s…what happens.”

“I thought yer suits were bulletproof?” he raised his voice a bit without realizing it.

“Eggsy,” his tone was as soft as it ever was, “take a breath, Darling,” he put his shirt on before pulling Eggsy against his chest, peppering his hair with kisses, “I’m alright. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“’m sorry,” he murmured.

“You don’t need to apologize for caring, Eggsy.”

The two of them crawled into bed. Eggsy smiled as he rested his head on Harry’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around the man’s waist. As silly as it was, he felt like he was protecting Harry when he was Big Spoon. It was just one of those things, and after weeks of worrying it was an immense comfort.

“I don’ wanna lose you, ‘Arry,” he whispered. So much time in silence had passed he wasn’t even sure if the man was awake anymore.

A smile crept across Harry’s face, “That’s the last thing you will ever need to worry about.”

It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest. He said goodnight, softly kissing Harry’s neck and shoulder. And before long, Harry’s sleepy sighs filled the room, signs of the first good night’s sleep he’d gotten in weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I didn't give all that much detail about this mission, but the mission itself wasn't really my concern, it was more the effects that it had on all the character relationships.  
> Idk just a PSA of sorts. Hope you all liked the chapter! xox


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being so patient with me! xox

“What the Hell happened?” Merlin was in Harry’s office, getting his frustrations out before their official debriefing with Arthur.

“What’re you talking about?” Harry thought that this conversation was over. He should’ve known better.

“You, Galahad,” he paced back and forth in front of Harry’s desk, “I expected James to be less than smooth. He’s still about as green as they come. But you,” he stopped, looking at him, “you never freeze. You only froze with Goodwell, and that was because there was _years_ of history there.”

“I’m not sure what you want me to say right now, Merlin.”

“Why did you halt up there?”

Harry couldn’t look at him. He knew that if he told Merlin the truth he’d suggest him taking a leave, or getting out of the field all-together.

“I can wait.”

Harry felt like he was being spoken to by his father, not his best friend. He sighed, “All I could see was Eggsy being immobilized in that chair.”

He took a deep breath. That was the reason he was expecting, or at least something to that effect. “Harry, if this is going to be a recurring issue-”

“I should strongly consider getting out of the field,” he finished the sentence for him, “I know.”

“Do you think this is going to become a problem?”

“I don’t know, Merlin.”

“Alright. Did you talk to Eggsy about it?”

“Does he know?” he looked startled.

“I told him that things got extremely dicey for a bit there. I left it to you to tell him the details,” he shook his head in disbelief, “You didn’t _tell him_?”

“That’d give him a bloody heart attack, Merlin. He is anxious enough as it is.”

He fought the urge to groan. He was the security and tech guy, not the in-agency therapist and relationship counselor. He had to stop trying to be so many things and just stick to what he knew he was good at…and more importantly _comfortable with_.

“Let’s go talk to Arthur.”

“Does he know?”

“About you?” he looked at Harry, who nodded but didn’t say anything. He sighed, “In all honesty, Harry, I don’t know. But I guess we’ll find out when he tells us.”

They walked into the room, standing in the doorway until Arthur gave them the cue to sit from the opposite end of the table from where they were. Harry sat in his normal seat, and Merlin took a seat as well, even though he always felt uncomfortable taking another agent’s spot, even if it was only for a few minutes.

Harry and Merlin were both able to keep their snide comments in check during the debriefing. A few sharp glances were exchanged across the table between the two of them when Arthur started asking for specifics. Merlin wanted Harry to fess up to the fact that at least something went wrong with him up there, but Harry wasn’t going to risk it. He didn’t want to be put on leave. And whenever Merlin would allude to the fact that things went a little more off-track than anyone had bargained for, Harry fought the urge to kick the man underneath the table.

“So, Galahad,” Arthur leaned back in his chair, “what’s your personal verdict on how this mission went?”

Harry straightened his shoulders slightly, “I think that it was successful.”

“Well _I_ can see that,” he let out a small sigh, “What do you think of Bors?”

“I think he’s new on the field,” Harry knew this game. He wasn’t going to throw James under the bus, especially not after his first real mission.

“Do you think he’ll improve?”

“When do they not, Arthur?” he couldn’t hide the frustration in his voice.

He raised his eyebrows, but didn’t say anything for a moment. He turned back to Merlin, “Thank you, Merlin. You’re dismissed.”

Worry crossed his face for a moment before he recovered. He nodded and rose from his seat, excusing himself, fighting the urge to turn and look back as he closed the door behind him.

“Is there something that you would like to discuss with me, Galahad?”

“I know better than to try, Arthur,” his tone was almost too civil.

“Well, in that case, there are some things I’d like to raise to your attention, if I may. I was looking through the footage from this last mission. And at first I was focusing on Bors, because he is the weakest link at this point. Through no fault of his own,” he added quickly when he saw the look on Harry’s face turn sour, “But regardless, that isn’t my point here. While I was originally looking for faults in his performance, I found some major ones in yours.”

“Arthur, no matter how many years I’m out on the field, I’m still liable to make mistakes. I’m not a perfect agent.”

“Trust me, I’m aware of that,” he responded a touch to fast, “But even so, you’ve never been one to get lost in your own head on a mission.”

“Yes, it’s been brought to my attention that my performance was not up to par with what’s expected of me,” he could hear Merlin’s voice in the back of his mind.

“Is there something I should know, Galahad, before I send you out on any other missions? Any serious psychological deficits, for starters. Lancelot has been on my case about making sure everyone checks out alright. I can’t be putting you out there if you’re going to put but any other agents you’d be working with and the person you could be trying to rescue at risk.”

Harry took a deep breath, “I’m fine, Arthur. There’s no _new_ psychological damage.”

“The attitude, is unnecessary. But if you say you’re fine, I’ll take you at your word,” he raised his eyebrows slightly, “for now.”

“Are we done here, Arthur?”

“You’re dismissed.”

Harry fought the urge to storm out and slam the door. He knew it wouldn’t do him well to act childish at this point, but it sure as hell was tempting. He made his way to the living area of Headquarters, telling himself that he just needed to sit, have a drink, and try to not be so frustrated for a few minutes.

After his blood stopped boiling, he made his way back to his office. As he walked up the stairs, he heard a few familiar voices. He paused where he was, trying to figure out if they were getting closer, or if he could stay put and eavesdrop. He didn’t hear any footsteps, and the voices didn’t seem to be getting louder, so he stayed where he was.

“I just wanted to know if it’d happened before,” James said with a sigh.

Eggsy shook his head, “I mean, once it did. It was before I was here and before you guys started training.”

“What’d they do about it?”

“Dunno. I wish I could be of more help, bruv.”

“It’s fine,” he shrugged, “I just figured you know him about as well as anyone would. You’re not mad, right?”

He laughed, “’Course not. I’m act’ally glad ya came to me. Thanks, James.”

He nodded, “No problem. I just, I don’t know, I didn’t wanna overstep? He’s my mentor and you’re my colleague and I figured that if you’re supposed to know, he’d say something.”

“Look, I’ll talk to him, and I’ll let you know what’s going on. Sound good?”

“Sounds great, Eggsy, thank you.”

“Do me a favor, though?”

“Sure.”

“Any other missions you do with him, keep me posted on how he is? I ain’t tryin’ ta put you in a tough spot, but-”

He held up his hand, “You’re not. That‘s not a problem at all, mate. If something goes wrong you’ll be one’a the first to know.” 

“I appreciate that,” he sighed, “Well, I gotta get back. You good?”

James nodded, “I’m fine. Thanks, Eggsy.”

“No problem. Let me know if you need anythin’, yea?” Eggsy took off to go back to Merlin’s office.

Harry heard his footsteps on the stairs and very quickly that he didn’t think his plan through very well. He knew he had a few moments so he started walking the rest of the way up the stairs, meeting Eggsy in the middle of the flight.

He beamed, “Ay, ‘Arry.”

“Oh, Eggsy,” he feigned surprise, “Merlin let you out of the lab?”

He laughed, “Told him I hadda get some fresh air.”

“I see,” he smiled.

“You gonna be out on time tonight?” his voice had a tinge of hope.

“I don’t see why not,” he raised his eyebrows, “Do you have plans?”

He laughed, shaking his head, “Not really. I just wanted to spend some actual time with you now that you’re home,” he leaned forward and kissed him quick on the lips, “I’ll cook. All you have to do is show up, yea?”

There was the slightest hint of a smirk on his face, “I like the sound of that.”

He grinned, “Good! I’ll see you at six, then,” he kissed him quick again and headed off.

“What’s good, Guv?”

“Eggsy,” Merlin looked back at him from the monitors, “have a good break?”

“Some’in like that,” he sat down and delved right into his work.

“Everything alright, lad?”

“Yea, s’all good.”

He didn’t believe it, but knew better than to start that conversation now, “Alright. Well, right now we’ve got three agents in three different places. I need you on Gawain. There’s a security system that we need to get past.”

Eggsy nodded, “On it, Boss,” he paused, “Is it cool if I put headphones in?”

Merlin stopped what he was doing. There was a genuinely perplexed look on his face. That wasn’t something he’d ever been asked before. All the other people in his department never bothered to ask. Some of them had headphones but he never stopped to think that maybe they were listening to music, and not using them for anything work-related.

He shrugged, not sure what else to do, “I don’t see why you can’t. Don’t have them so loud that you can’t hear me.”

Eggsy nodded before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his iPod and headphones. He was nodding his head slightly as his fingers flew across the keyboard, cracking encryptions and the like.

Before he knew it, it was time to head home. He wouldn’t have noticed if Merlin hadn’t said anything. “Go home, Eggsy,” his voice was sympathetic, “You’ve had an exhausting stint. You and Harry could both use the rest.”

His stomach twisted, “Didn’t even realize the day was over,” he forced a smile, “You sure you’re good here, Merlin?”

He nodded, “Aye. If I need reinforcements you’ll be the first to know.”

 

Eggsy was just able to hear the sound of the door over the music that he had playing. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to the conversation he was going to be having. He’d been wondering all day when he should bring it up. He went back and forth between a few different ideas, but eventually he decided that he’d do it after dinner. Besides, he’d put a considerable about of effort into this and he didn’t want it going to waste.

The music faded away slightly as Harry turned down the volume on Eggsy’s speakers. He didn’t know when the boy had brought them over, but it didn’t really matter.

“You seem busy in here,” Harry wandered into the kitchen, placing his hands on Eggsy’s waist, “Can you spare a second for a kiss?”

Eggsy laughed and turned around, pulling Harry close by his tie, “Anythin’ fer you, Love,” he kissed him hard before turning back around to his cooking mission. His tone was light despite the fact that his insides were twisted into knots, “Dinner’ll be ready in five, if you wanna change inta comfy clothes.”

Harry kissed him on the temple, “I’ll be right back.”

They talked over dinner, although Eggsy couldn’t remember a word of what he was saying. There talked a little bit about work, Harry asked if Eggsy had heard from his mother or sister lately. Eggsy fought the urge to casually ask about the mission, because he didn’t want to get into that just yet.

“How’d the meetin’ with Arthur go?” he gave a little smirk.

Harry’s laugh itself was weighted with sarcasm, “Lovely as ever.”

“Wha’ happened?” Eggsy laughed, knowing that Harry liked Arthur just about as much as he did.

He shook his head, “He just has a vendetta against James, is all.”

“Why? It ain’t like James is outta place with you lot. Ain’t like ‘e’s me.”

“Eggsy-”

“I’m jus’ bein’ honest,” his smile was genuine, “James is a good kid, and he wants to get good at the stuff you guys do. What’s up Arthur’s ass?”

“James wasn’t his candidate.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes, “So petty, bruv,” he leaned back in his chair, “How’d James do, though? ‘E was tellin’ me that he was nervous.”

“He did fine considering it was his first long-term, undercover mission. He made mistakes, but any new agent will.”

Eggsy nodded, “Think he’ll be a good fit, though?”

“Oh yes. He’s got plenty of potential. And if he’s as driven as he says he is, he’ll catch on quickly.”

“That’s good, then,” he stood up and stretched, “So were you ever planning on telling me what happened?” he said it casually as he picked up their dinner plates, like the calm before the storm.

Harry tensed up, “What?”

“What happened in Istanbul, Harry?” he stood at the end of the table, leaning one hand on it.

Even though he knew that Eggsy knew what happened, he didn’t want to have this discussion, “It got to be a bit of a cluster towards the end. That’s not uncommon, though, especially when it’s newer agents out on the field.”

“Really? Huh, that’s interestin’, ‘cos from what _I_ heard, if it hadn’t’a been fer James the man you were tryin’ ta rescue would be dead.”

“Eggsy, I’m sor-”

“And so would you!” his voice cracked, “Fuckin’ Hell. You almost got yourself killed, ‘Arry, and you didn’t fuckin’ say anything to me.”

“What would you have wanted me to tell you, exactly?” his tone had a bite to it, “Something like, ‘Oh, Eggsy, I’ve missed you so much. I’m so glad that mission is over, particularly because I almost got myself and my partner shot,’?” he hated how snarky he sounded but he couldn’t help it.

“Yea, well, I’d rather ‘ave that than to havta hear it from James,” he shook his head, “What the fuck ‘appened out there?”

“It was n-”

“You say it was nothin’ and I swear ta,” his voice shook, tears beginning to well in his eyes, “I get it, ‘Arry, yer job is dangerous. I know you lot are liable to get shot or stabbed or whatever when yer off fuckin’ about and savin’ the world,” he took a deep, unsteady breath, “But when I’ve got a kid comin’ to me, goin’ outta his way to tell me you almost got yerself killed, you don’ get ta say it’s nothing.”

“You really want to know what happened in that room?”

“That’s the fuckin’ point’a this conversation, yea.”

“I froze up, Eggsy. I saw that man strapped down in that chair all bruised up and I froze. All I could see in that moment was you and I couldn’t force myself to move.”

Eggsy’s heart plummeted into his stomach, and he couldn’t hold back his tears after that, “Wh-what?”

“You’re not the only one who gets flashbacks from things you’d give everything to forget,” he couldn’t look Eggsy in the eye.

He took a step back, bringing his hands up to his chest, twisting them nervously, “Why…why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want you to worry.”

“I worry more when you hide stuff from me, ‘Arry,” he looked down at his feet, “Is there anything I c’n do?”

Harry shook his head, “It’s my own issue, Eggsy.”

“Oh don’t even,” he looked thoroughly offended, “You can’t tell me that some shit that involved me is making you almost get yerself killed and then tell me not to fuckin’ worry about it.”

“Well you worrying about it isn’t going to do any good!”

“Then what will?”

“I don’t know!” he snapped, slamming his fist on the table.

Eggsy flinched, instinctively taking a step back. His fists were clenched so tight that his knuckles were white.

Harry took a deep breath, running his hands over his face, “I’m sorry, Eggsy. I didn’t mean, I didn’t mean to snap like that. I’m just frustrated.”

He didn’t move from where he was, “Then talk ta me about it. Fer fuck’s sake, the number of times I landed on your doorstep needin’ help, the least I could do is lissen ta you about this.”

He shook his head, “There’s nothing to say about it.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“What more is there to say, Eggsy? I got up there. I froze. End of story. It happens sometimes. Agents don’t bounce back from everything so quickly.”

“’Arry, this isn’t a busted shoulder or some stab wound in yer leg. This shit is randomly immobilizing you.”

“Thank you, Eggsy, I’m aware,” he didn’t sound angry. He didn’t sound like he had any emotion about it either way, which was almost worse.

“You’re not going to talk to me about this, are you?”

“I’ve talked enough about this today.”

“Yea, with ev’ryone but me which I think is pretty fucked, too.”

“I was just trying to protect you from this, Eggsy.”

He shook his head, “After all I been through with you, ‘cos’a you, you still think I need protecting?”

“That’s _exactly_ why I think you need protecting.”

“Don’t play martyr with me, ‘Arry. I been doin’ that shit my whole life. What’s the real reason you ain’t told me about this?”

“I’ve hardly been home, for one thing.”

“And yet you had time to discuss it with _everyone else_.”

He sighed, “Can I finish? I didn’t want the first thing we talked about when I got back to be something so exhausting. And I didn’t want you feeling guilty, seeing me like this.”

“Come off it, bruv,” Eggsy shook his head, “We’re in this together now, whether you like it or not. An’ that means you gotta let me in on all the ugly parts of this, of you.”

Harry took a deep breath, removing his glasses and tossing them onto the table, “Eggsy, I’m exhausted. Can we continue this later?”

He sighed, “Sure, ‘Arry. Whatever you want.”

Eggsy left and went upstairs, and after a few minutes passed Harry realized that he wasn’t coming back. He took a deep breath and began shutting everything off downstairs. He went to their bedroom and when he opened the door, he found nothing but an empty bed. He sighed as he made his way down the hall to the guest room. He knocked softly.

“Yea?” Eggsy’s voice came from the other side.

Harry pushed the door open just enough to lean in. Eggsy was already underneath the covers, his nose buried in a book.

“Please don’t do this, Eggsy.”

“I’m frustrated too, ‘Arry,” he said without looking over, “I thought you said you weren’t gonna hide nothin’ anymore.”

The weight on his chest doubled. He realized then that there was more to this argument besides Eggsy being worried over him. “I’m sorry.”

He refused to look over, “Yea, me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because Stubborn!Harry is very important and very real.


	43. Chapter 43

When Harry woke up the next morning, the house was silent. He walked down the hall and saw the bedroom door open. He looked in and saw a perfectly made bed, Eggsy’s book still on the nightstand. That wasn’t the best sign. He knew better than to shut Eggsy out in an argument, because he’d have no issue returning the favor. Eggsy was used to people being cold with him, and for that reason it was never going to get them anywhere in a fight. He should’ve just _listened_ to what the boy had to say. Harry sighed, shaking his head at himself, and started getting ready for work.

The drive seemed to take twice as long as it normally did. He hadn’t even gotten to his office yet, and he already wanted to be back home asleep in bed. He just hope that by some miracle Eggsy would come around. He hated the silence. As much as he’d enjoyed his peace and quiet before, once Eggsy had come into his life he realized just how much he’d missed the noise. 

The second he sat down in his office, there was a knock at the door. He sighed, “Come in.”

Eggsy opened the door, not making any move to come farther than the doorway.

Harry’s eyes brightened, “Come in, Eggsy, please.”

He shut the door behind him, still not saying a word. He walked up to Harry’s desk, and as he got closer, Harry could see that the boy’s lower lip was trembling. He didn’t know if he should say something first, or if Eggsy wanted to.

“It’s not just you anymore!” Eggsy finally blurted out. Tears fell and he fought back sobs. Harry stayed silent and let him catch his breath. “You’re not alone anymore. I ain’t just yer neighbor that you don’t owe anythin’ to,” he quickly wiped away at his eyes, “You don’t get to choose what I get to know. You don’t get ta lie to me anymore!”

Harry’s heart felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, “Okay.”

Tears rolled down Eggsy’s cheeks, “I fuckin’ love you, ‘Arry. And either you don’ get that, or you don’ care. But either way, it’s still true. I love you so fuckin’ much and I coulda lost you. That fuckin’ _matters_.”

He nodded, “Okay,” he wanted to say more, but he knew that Eggsy needed to get this out of his system.

“We been through some fucked up shit, ‘Arry. And you don’ get to decide that I’m too weak to handle whatever the truth is.”

“You’re right,” he kept his voice quiet, “I’m sorry.”

Eggsy nodded, wiping tears off his face, “Okay. Good. I’m still mad at you.”

He gave an understanding nod, “I know.”

His body seemed to relax slightly, “Alright then. Good.”

“I love you.”

He took a deep breath, his voice still had the slightest shake to it, “I love you too, ‘Arry. I just wish you weren’t such a pain in the ass.”

He couldn’t help but to crack a smile, “I know I don’t make it easy on you, Eggsy.”

He rolled his eyes, “Don’t I fuckin’ know it.”

“Do you still want to talk?”

He nodded, “But I can’t right now. I’ve gotta help Merlin with some stuff. I just, I needed to come up here and yell at you.”

“That’s fair, as much as I hate to admit it.”

“I’m still mad, y’know.”

Harry nodded, “I know.”

“Good,” he gave a definitive nod, “I’ll see you at ‘ome.”

Eggsy walked out of the office and Harry collapsed back in his chair. It was a lot to process, and he was almost glad that Eggsy didn’t want to talk about it right then. He had a lot to think about before going home that day. He wondered if he’d get any work done. Eggsy wasn’t ignoring him anymore though, and that was a positive thing. That was progress. Now it was Harry’s turn to get his act together a bit.

 

Eggsy walked back into Merlin’s office, eyes still a little red but overall he looked better than when he had gotten in that morning at some ungodly hour. Merlin wasn’t used to anyone else being there in the small hours of the A.M. when there wasn’t some sort of crisis going on.

“Feeling better?” he didn’t take his eyes off the monitor.

Eggsy nodded, “A bit, yea. Thanks.”

“No need to thank me,” and that was the last they spoke of it.

The door to the office swung open, and Roxy came in, the look on her face letting Merlin know that this wasn’t going to be a particularly friendly chat. He had an inkling as to what it was about, and if he was right, this conversation wasn’t going to be a fun one.

He tried to brace himself, “Lancelot, what can I do for you?”

“You can start by explaining to be why you pulled me off the Tokyo mission that I was assigned to almost two weeks ago. I’ve been reading up on all the files getting ready for this, Merlin. What’s going on?”

“Arthur and I thought it’d be best to go at the information extraction from a different angle.”

“What, we’re _above_ honeypot missions now?”

“Not exactly.”

“Then what? Has my track record not been satisfactory enough for the two of you? Did we discover that our target is secretly gay? What’s the deal and why wasn’t I told?”

“Merlin,” Eggsy spoke up, “was this the mission with the guy you had me lookin’ up a few days ago?” Merlin nodded but didn’t say anything, praying to God that Eggsy would talk to Roxy about this so he didn’t have to. Eggsy looked over at her, “Rox, gettin’ pulled from that had absolutely nothin’ ta do with your skills. It was for yer safety.”

She kept her eyes on Merlin, knowing that she wasn’t going to leave without getting some kind of an explanation from him. “All our work here is dangerous, Merlin. That’s kind of why we do it.”

“It would’ve been dangerous specifically for _you_ , Lancelot.”

Her eyes narrowed, “Why?”

“New information has come to light about our target, and the harm it might’ve done would’ve outweighed the benefits. You were pulled because we couldn’t promise that you would come back the same way you left.”

Her shoulders relaxed, more curious now than she was angry, “What do you mean?”

Eggsy spoke up, “His girls get really banged up, Rox. Merlin had me look more inta this guy so we could find out where we should send you to pick ‘im up an’ I found all these reports that got swept off ‘cos the cops don’t wanna peg him for anythin’,” his face was paler than ever as he remembered all that he’d read.

Merlin took over, “So we decided it would be better to send Percival over instead and infiltrate in a bit of a different manner.”

Roxy swallowed hard and nodded, “Right, right. Sorry, I didn’t know.”

“I know you didn’t. But now you do,” he took a breath, “So, while I’ve got you here,” he handed her a file, “I was going to meet with you tomorrow about this, but this works too.”

She raised her eyebrows as she took the folder, “Where to this time?”

“Sicily.”

Her face broke out into a grin, “Just as well, then. I’m at least fluent in Italian.”

Merlin laughed, “I’m aware. Just, don’t tell Galahad.”

“He’s been itching to go back, hasn’t he?”

Merlin nodded, “I’m afraid that if I send him anywhere in Italy he’ll never come back.”

“Well, he has to now,” she nodded towards Eggsy, “Wouldn’t dare to leave his boyfriend behind,” she smiled when she saw Eggsy grin slightly, “When do I leave?”

“Thirty-six hours.”

She gave a definitive nod, “Better start reading this then. Thank you, Merlin,” she turned on her heel, “Later, Eggsy.”

“See ya, Rox,” he smiled when she rested her hand on his shoulder as she walked out.

When the door shut behind her Merlin looked over at Eggsy, “Thank you for that, lad.”

“What?”

“Talking to her.”

He shrugged, “Don’ gotta thank me. I didn’ want her goin’ over there any more than you did once I found that out. I dunno what I woulda done if somethin’ ‘ad happened to her. This job is her life, yea?”

“It’s that way for a lot of people here,” he paused, “How have you been with everything here, Eggsy?” Merlin kept his eyes trained on the monitors, “I know you said you had no interest in becoming a field agent because of what happened to you. But you’re alright here, yes?”

Eggsy was a little flustered; he hadn’t had anyone ask him about all that in a long time. He shrugged, “I’m aight. Gettin’ better. It’s not like this is doin’ to me what all’a that did. I think, I dunno, I think I’m on the mend? I’m more in control now it feels like.”

Merlin looked over, and it was the warmest Eggsy had ever seen the man look, “That’s good, Eggsy.”

“You ever seen anything like this happen to someone else, though?” Eggsy knew that what happened and the toll that it took on him wasn’t his _fault_ , but he still felt like no one else had ever had such a hard time in dealing with these things and recovering from them. Even Harry, who evidently was dealing with some of the same things, was able to go off on missions.

“Of course it has. You think this agency has been around for this many years and never had any collateral psychological damage?”

Eggsy shrugged, “Guess not. No one ever talks ‘bout it though.”

“They don’t like to admit that it happens.”

“Yea, guess ‘s’not the most pleasant conversation ta have.”

“That it’s not. But it’s good to see that this job is helping you. Or at least not hurting you.”

“I think it’s helping, honestly Guv.”

“Good. I know it helped me.”

Eggsy looked at him, perplexed, “Guv?”

He gestured to the monitors, “I used to be out there, too," his expression faltered.

“Oh..”

“It only takes one bad mission. You can have a dozen mishaps and be fine. But it only takes _one_.”

“Then you opted to go back here?”

“Ay. Well, it was either make a new position for myself, or leave. And I figured if I could stop this from happening to other agents, it was my job to.”

“Tha’s good, at least.”

Merlin nodded, “I can say that now. People like Arthur, they only see injuries as physical. But, as I’m sure you’re aware, there’s much more to it.”

“Yer tellin’ me.”

“It was difficult at first. And in light of that, I apologize that I made you go through it on your own for a while there. I didn’t think on it, and that was my fault.”

Eggsy shrugged, offering up a small smile, “Worked out pretty okay though, yea?”

He smiled, nodding, “You’re a good lad, Eggsy.”

“I’m tryin’ ta be.”

 

Eggsy got home that night and saw that Harry’s car was already in the driveway. He unlocked the front door, calling out so Harry knew that it was him who was walking in. Everything seemed perfectly normal. Harry’s music was playing and Eggsy could smell something cooking in the kitchen. Harry was a great cook when Eggsy didn’t beat him to it. But it’s hard to break old habits and Eggsy was just too used to getting home and setting right into dinner. It was a nice change of pace when he didn’t have to worry about it though.

He stood at the edge of the kitchen, not knowing how he was supposed to go about this, “Ay, Love.”

Harry turned to him, offering up a small smile, “How was your day, Darling?”

“It was alright. Kept Roxy from killing Merlin. Other’n that though, pretty quiet.”

“You want dinner?”

He nodded, “Yea, please.”

The both of them were sat on the couch in the living room. Eggsy knew that the ball was in his court at this point. If he wanted to talk to Harry more about what had happened, all he had to do was say so. But there was a part of him that just wanted to relax for a little while. The whole situation had been so exhausting for him and he just needed to not feel tense for a little while.

He slid down to Harry’s end of the couch, curling up against the man’s side without saying a word. Harry looked down at him, a smile on his face as he wrapped his arm around Eggsy’s side.

“Movie preference?” Harry asked as he flipped through channels.

“Whatever you want, ‘Arry,” his voice was soft, tired.

He was half paying attention to the movie. Harry did always have a thing for off-beat films. It was one of the posher things about the man’s personality. Eggsy didn’t mind it, though. But it did make it hard to focus on the film sometimes. Eggsy felt his eyelids growing heavy. He let his head rest in Harry’s lap and felt what was left of the tension melt out of him as Harry’s fingers ran through his hair.

After a few more minutes, Harry heard Eggsy’s soft snores and he knew that the boy wouldn’t be getting up any time soon. He slowly got off the couch, making sure not to wake Eggsy in the process. He shut off the television and most of the lights before carefully scooping Eggsy up and proceeding to carry him up the stairs. He laid Eggsy down on the bed and tucked him in.

Harry crawled in on his side of the bed and slid under the covers. He laid on his side, his back facing Eggsy. It’d been a long day for the both of them. And maybe after a good night’s sleep they’d both be up to talking about everything in a calm manner. Harry could only hope. This wasn’t what he had been expecting to get into when he got back home. He had much happier, better things in mind. But there’d always be time for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! xox


	44. Chapter 44

Eggsy walked through the front door, “Ay! Anyone home?”

“Stop yelling,” Alex’s voice was hardly audible as he spoke from his room upstairs.

Eggsy laughed; he knew exactly what was wrong. Very rarely was Alex that bitter in his greeting. He clamored up the stairs and down the hall to Alex’s room, where the boy laid on his stomach, balled up in blankets up to his chin.

“You need anythin’, bruv? Water? Meds?”

He nodded towards his dresser, “Top drawer, left side.”

Eggsy pawed through, pulling out a bottle of aspirin. He looked over at his friend, eyebrows raised.

“Three.”

He nodded, dumping three into his hand and replacing the bottle. Alex took the pills from him and swallowed them without bothering to get a glass of water first.

“Don’t bounce back like you used to, yea?”

“Oh shut it,” he slowly sat up, “Been missin’ ya, mate. Where you been?”

Eggsy shrugged, looking around the room noticing Anna’s clothes and miscellaneous belongings everywhere, “’Arry’s. Shit, Alex, does Anna live here now? I ‘aven’t been gone _that_ long, right?”

Alex laughed, “Nah, don’t worry. She doesn’t live here yet.”

“Yet? You two seem pre’ty serious, yea?”

He chuckled, “What about you and _your_ boyfriend? You livin’ with him?”

He shook his head, “I don’ think he’s ready fer that kinda commitment jus’ yet.”

“Eggsy, you’re there all the fuc-”

“Yea but tha’s diff’rent,” he stopped Alex mid-sentence, “I ain’t _living_ there. If we fight or break up or whatever I can still jus’ walk back across the street without it bein’ a big deal, ya get me?”

Alex nodded, “Yea, I get you, mate. Really, I do. But you’re never really here. And I mean, I miss you and all. But that’s not what I’m talking about.”

“What _are_ you talking about?” Eggsy had a tough time understanding Alex sometimes when he was sober, let along recovering from going too hard the night before.

“I mean that just, you’re really serious about this bloke aren’t you?”

Eggsy shrugged, “I don’ have any int’rest in bein’ with anyone else, ta be honest.”

Despite the throbbing in his skull, a grin appeared on Alex’s face, “Who woulda thought, my little bruv all grown up and in love.”

He rolled his eyes, “Don’ make a thing outta this.”

“Fuck you, mate,” he laughed, “ _’Course_ I’m gonna make a thing outta this. I’m happy for you.”

He tried to keep a straight face, but there was no hiding the joy in his eyes, “I am too.”

“So you two are doin’ good, yea?”

Eggsy shrugged, “Got inta a bit of a spat the other day. ‘S’okay now though. You just…you know how I get when I’m angry. I jus’ hadda cool down b’fore we could talk it out.”

“Now you’re freakin’ me out, mate,” he smirked, “Soundin’ like a respectable adult.”

“It comes in waves,” Eggsy laughed. His face grew a little more serious, a little more curious, “You and Anna good though?”

Alex laughed, nodding, “We’re great, Eggsy, honest ta God. We just aren’t as ready to settle down into things as you. We still got some livin’ to do.”

“I done enough livin’ fer a few lives, yea?”

“You don’t have to tell me that twice, mate.”

There were a few beats of silence before Eggsy spoke up again, “Where is everyone, anyway? Fig’red everyone would be in the same state as you, more or less, on a Sunday afternoon.”

Alex shrugged as he got out of bed, still half in clothes from the previous night, “Anna had family stuff today, Ryan left the club with someone, and Jamal…I don’t really know where Jamal is. He mighta been better off than me and is actually off doing things with his day.”

“Yer an old man, Alex. I could prob’ly drink you under the table now.”

“I’d let you,” he laughed.

“You eat anythin’ taday?”

“I haven’t even gotten out of bed today.”

Eggsy laughed, “Fair enough. C’mon then, I’ll make you breakfast.”

He went downstairs and wound his way into the kitchen. Alex followed, a few beats slower than Eggsy, but he still made it there. He collapsed at the counter, propping his elbows on the countertop and placing his face in his hands. He made a remark to Eggsy about not knowing when he’d gotten so old.

Eggsy laughed, “Prolly started happenin’ when I started stayin’ at Harry’s more. Left all on yer own to take care’a things. Ages you, mate.”

He chuckled, “Yea, you’re just the glue that holds the house together.”

“Aren’t I?”

“Hate to admit it, but yea, a bit.”

“What’re you gonna do when I move out?”

“Thought you weren’t there yet?”

He laughed, “Not with ‘Arry, no. But I mean, I ain’t gonna live ‘ere forever. And I’m saving to get Mum and Dais a new,” he sighed, “a new something. A new _anythin’_ really.”

“You’ll get there,” Alex watched silently for a few minutes as Eggsy threw breakfast together. As much as he didn’t want to move, if he didn’t get water, and coffee, soon his brain was going to collapse in on itself.

Once Alex was done inhaling his breakfast, Eggsy ventured to ask if he had any plans for the day. He laughed, shaking his head, “Recovering. _That’s_ my plan for the day.”

Eggsy chuckled, “Sounds like a good one,” he checked the time on his phone, “I gotta run, gotta check in at work quick,” he hopped up out of his seat, “Glad to see yer doing alright. Well…sorta,” he smirked.

“Yea, yea,” he shook his head, “Not all of us are livin’ in the lap of luxury, you know.”

“What’re you talkin’ about?” he laughed as he made his way to the front door, “You got it made over here.”

Alex laughed, “It’s not half bad,” he leaned against the doorframe, “Don’ be a stranger, alright?”

“I won’t, bruv. Things ‘ave just been-”

“I know,” he smiled, “Keep taking care’a yourself. You’re looking a lot better.”

“Feelin’ a lot better,” he gave Alex a hug, “See you soon, bruv.”

“See ya.”

 

Eggsy walked into Merlin’s lab, which he still wasn’t (and probably never would be) comfortable calling partially his as well. He looked around, but the man was nowhere in sight. That was concerning in and of itself.

“Guv?”

Just as he was about to walk out and start wandering around HQ in search of his boss, the man came bursting through from the adjoining room. It startled Eggsy, because he often forgot that the door actually led to somewhere.

“Eggsy, lad, good to see you.”

“You too,” he was beyond confused, “Everythin’ alright?”

“Yes. And I’m sorry to have called you in on a Sunday, but I assumed this was news you’d rather hear sooner rather than later.”

“Is everything alright?”

“Everything is just fine. This is good news.”

Eggsy plopped down in his chair, anxious but ready to hear whatever Merlin had to tell him.

“The protocol here at Kingsman,” Merlin began, “Is that along with a job, each field agent is given a place to stay. A safe, secure location so that when they’re home from missions they can be fairly certain that no harm will befall them,” he took a deep breath, “After much debate with Arthur, and a few testimonials from some other agents, I’ve secured a place for you, if you want it.”

Eggsy’s jaw was practically on the floor, “You’re…you’re serious??”

There was a small smile on Merlin’s face, “You know I don’t joke often, lad.”

“Holy shit, Merlin,” he laughed, running his fingers back through his hair, “My own flat?” When he nodded in response, Eggsy couldn’t help but to ask, “How? How’d you manage that, Guv? I mean, I ain’t even a field agent.”

“I know. And that’s exactly what Arthur told me. But, I told him that by that logic I shouldn’t have my flat either. We went back and forth for a while. The important thing is, there’s a place for you now. I know you’d been stowing a bit of money away every payday. This ought to make it easier.”

“Merlin, I dunno what to say,” he shook his head, smiling from ear to ear, “Thank you so much fer this.”

“No need to thank me. It’s only fair. Now, the way it’s worked in the past is that if you want to continue saving and buy a house, you can do that, but until then you’ll have the flat. In my opinion the flat is more than fine. Harry decided to move,” he shook his head, “But you know there’s no explaining him.”

He chuckled, “Don’ I know it,” he was still in shock of what he’d just been told. This meant that his mom and Daisy didn’t need to stay with Dean anymore. “So, now what?”

Merlin tossed him a keyring, “You could move in today, if you wanted.”

“That’s mental. I,” he laughed, “I don’ even know what ta do.”

“I’d suggest giving your mother a call.”

 

Eggsy unlocked the door to the flat. Merlin was right; the place was large enough there would be no reason to move unless you wanted to have a huge family, or just really wanted to get out of that section of town. Eggsy had never lived in a place that large, save for Alex’s but that was a house. Even when he was young and his father was alive their flat wasn’t this big. He wandered around, it seemed so open and empty, which would change once his mother and Daisy moved all their things in. He hadn’t talked to anyone about it yet. He left a message on his mother’s phone, letting her know that she should call him back whenever she got the chance since he had news for her. He’d never been so excited in his entire life.

His phone rang and he looked down, thinking it was going to be his mom but instead he saw Harry’s name, “Ay, Love,” he paused, “Yea, yea, I’m fine, no worries. Merlin said he hadda talk ta me about some stuff...Yea everything is great!...I’ll talk to you when I get ‘ome later, yea? I got big news…Alright, love you too, bye.”

He wandered aimlessly around the flat, instantly able to picture how it would be once everyone moved in. He hoisted himself up onto a counter in the kitchen and sat there for a moment, reveling in the feeling that he was really starting to make it somewhere in life.

A photo of his mother and Daisy popped up on the screen of his phone as they called him. He answered it, unable to contain his excitement, “Hey Mum!”

“Eggsy! Babe, is everything alright?”

“Yea, Mum, everything is great. I have such good news fer you, you ready?”

She laughed, “I’m always ready for good news.”

“I got us a flat.”

“Wh-what?” she couldn’t believe that she had heard him correctly.

“Yea! I got promoted at work and closer housing was one of the perks!” it was a lie, but a safe one.

“Babe, that’s, I don’t even know what to say,” it sounded like she was crying.

“Mum? You alright?” he couldn’t see her and couldn’t’ tell whether they were tears of joy or not.

“I’m, I’m more than alright,” she let out a laugh, “I just can’t believe it.”

“And it’s safe, Mum. You an’ Dais won’t havta worry anymore.”

“I, I don’t know what to say…”

“Say you’ll move in with me,” Eggsy’s voice was beyond hopeful.

She laughed, “Of course.”

“I love you, Mum.”

“I love you too, Eggsy,” she took a deep breath, “I have to start thinking about moving…”

“Don’ worry about it. I’ll take care of it.”

“Eggsy, I can’t ask you to-”

“Yer not asking,” the smile on his face could be heard in his voice, “Honestly, Mum, I got it. Don’ worry about it, yea?”

She laughed, “Alright. You let me know whatever you need, okay?”

“’Course.”

“I’ve gotta go, babe. I’ll talk to you soon,” she paused, “Thank you so much, Eggsy.”

“I’ll always be here,” he took a breath, “Aight, I’ll let you go. Talk soon, yea?”

“'Course. Be safe, Eggsy.”

“You too, Mum. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

He hung up and the grin on his face stretched from ear to ear. He couldn’t believe all that was happening for him. It was difficult to process it all. He took a deep breath and headed towards the door that led back out into the real world. He needed a bit of air, and he needed to talk to Harry. This changed everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because Eggsy taking care of his family makes my world go 'round.
> 
>  
> 
> (...tryna wrap the story up for real this time. Getting there slowly but surely.)


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for being so incredibly patient! Between life and school I just haven't had the time for fanficiton. But I'm getting back to it! Love you all for sticking with me. xox

He burst through the front door that night, “I’m home!” he kicked off his shoes, took off his jacket, and wandered into the kitchen, smiling as he saw Harry sitting at the counter, sipping a cup of tea to unwind from a day of running errands. He couldn’t have been home for too long, he still had his tie loosely hanging around his neck.

“Welcome home,” there was a warm smile on his face.

“’Arry,” he walked over and brushed a kiss against the man’s cheek before sitting down next to him, “I’ve gotta talk to you.”

“So you told me. What’s the big news, Darling?”

“I got my own place!”

Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise, “Your own place?”

“Merlin told me that he got me a Kingsman-issued flat!” his smile shone, “The place is huge, ‘Arry. More room than I’ll eva’ know what to do with.”

“You visited it already?”

“Merlin handed me the damn keys,” he took them out of his pocket and put them on the counter with a disbelieving laugh, “He knew that I’ve been tryin’ to get a place for Mum and Daisy,” he shook his head, “Can’t believe he managed it.”

“So you’re taking it, then?”

He laughed, “Fuck yea. You kidding me? I’d be an idiot to pass this up.”

There were a few beats of silence between them. Eggsy knew that it was a lot for Harry to take in all at once. He’d known the entire day and he still hadn’t completely processed it. He hadn’t worked out any of the details yet, either. And, knowing Harry, Eggsy had to assume that that’s what the man was doing.

“Harry,” he took Harry’s hands in his own, “you still with me, bruv?” he smirked.

He smiled, “Yes, yes, I’m still with you. I’m happy for you, Eggsy. I know this has been stressing you out for some time now.”

“Honestly, though,” he chuckled, “Be a nice weight off my shoulders, yea?” he paused, “You alright?”

“Of course.”

“Not the most convincing thing you’ve ever said, y’know.”

“You’ll be moving out, I’m assuming?”

“Ta be fair, I’ve never _really_ moved in.”

Harry paused, biting the inside of his lip for a moment. Eggsy had a perfectly valid point. There’d been a million times when Harry had wanted to ask him to officially move in. After all, the boy already had a key to the damn place. All that was left was for Eggsy to move all of his things in. But it was too late, now. He’d lost his shot.

“That’s fair, I suppose.”

“’Arry, Love, talk to me.”

“It’s just not the news I was expecting, Eggsy. I wasn’t planning on you mov—” he caught himself, “I wasn’t planning on you _leaving_ any time soon, is all.”

“I ain’t _leaving_ you, Harry,” a boyish smile crossed his face, “The last damn thing I wanna do is _leave_ you. But I gotta help my mum and sister move in and make sure they’re settling alright.”

Eggsy very suddenly got a feel for what was going on. He’d defined his whole relationship with Harry off of the fact that sure, they were serious, but not serious enough to _really_ be _living together_. Only come to find that Harry considered him to be moved in the entire time. It spun his world for a second and he lost his footing as to where they were in this conversation.

“Do you…” he wanted to ask but he didn’t want to seem like he was pushing things too far, “Do you want me to come back here with you after they’re settled, Love?” he paused, “To stay?”

Nothing but silence.

“You can say no, Harry. Really, it’s alright. If you’re not ready than I c’n stay with my Mum. It’s not a—”

“Of course I want you to stay.”

A smile slowly spread across Eggsy’s face, “Well alright then. Tha’s all you hadda say, bruv.” He stood up and kissed Harry on the temple before walking away, “I’m hoppin’ in the shower. In or out for dinner?”

“In?”

He nodded, “In it is.”

 

Eggsy went straight to Headquarters the next morning. He spoke to Merlin about moving his mother and sister into the new flat. After all, it wasn’t the same procedure for this as it had been for other agents in the past. Nothing about this was the same as it usually was in Kingsman. And, if Eggsy had learned anything in his time working for the agency, is that “new” meant they didn’t know how the Hell to handle it. Eggsy made sure that there would be some sort of protocol so that Michelle and Daisy would be able to leave their current flat and get to their new one without Dean hurting them, or finding out where they were.

Kingsman kept good upkeep on all of their flats, even the ones that weren’t currently inhabited. So when Eggsy went through to make sure that everything was clean, and safe for Daisy, he didn’t have much that he had to fix. It was a relief that at minimum one thing about this ordeal would go smoothly.

Michelle brought the first of the boxes in from the moving truck. She hadn’t even had a chance to look at the place; she was just going off of Eggsy’s word to her that it was a nice flat. And she certainly wasn’t disappointed. Just like her son, she couldn’t remember the last time that she lived in a place with that much room. She placed her boxes in the empty expanse that she was already visualizing as their living room.

Eggsy strolled in a few moments after her. He set his boxes down beside hers and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, “Whaddaya think, Mum?”

“This place is amazing, Eggsy. Work perks, you said?”

He nodded, “Yea. Just had to get the paperwork for it sorted before I could tell you.”

“Eggsy, be honest with me babe, alright?” she looked at him, “I don’t care if you’re working for Harry, with Harry, whatever the case may be, but—”

“Mum,” he kept his tone soft, “Don’ worry about it, yea? Everything’s sor—”

“Hush,” she smiled, laughing for a moment, “You’re too much like me sometimes. Let me finish,” she smirked, “Alright, where was I?”

“Am I workin’ fer Harry.”

“Right, right. Look, Eggsy, babe, I love you no matter what. And what you choose to do is, well, your choice. If working for Kingsman is what you wanna do, I can’t stop you. But just, tell me one thing, yea?”

“Anythin’, Mum.”

“Are you safe?”

For a moment Eggsy was dragged back in time to the abandoned city building. There were bullets and blood everywhere for a few seconds. But then he snapped back to the present. He smiled at his mother, “Got the safest job of the lot, Mum,” he kissed the top of her head, “Promise.”

She nodded, “Alright, good. Now, let’s get some more of these boxes in here.”

Eggsy caught up to her as she proudly strode back out of the flat, “Some of the other guys I work with said they’d stop by and help out, Mum.”

She shook her head, “Don’t be ridiculous, babe. I’m sure they’ve got other things to do. Tell them not to worry.”

He sighed, “That’s what I thought you’d say. So, I called in backup reinforcements.”

As if on cue, Ryan, Jamal, and Alex all came bounding up the stairs with boxes in their arms. They all smiled at her, Alex being the first one to say anything, “Mrs. B! Happy housewarming!”

She smiled, covering her mouth with her hands, tears of happiness welling up in her eyes, “Oh, boys, you didn’t have to do this!”

“No worries,” Jamal piped in with a smile.

“Yea, after all you did fer us when we were little,” Ryan said, “Least we could do! Not like Unwin’s gonna be any ‘elp,” he laughed.

Eggsy sighed, shaking his head, “Alright, alright. Jus’ bring ‘em inside, yea?”

Michelle was smiling and shaking her head in disbelief as the boys all made their way into the flat. She looked over at her son, “You didn’t have to, babe.”

“They all wanted to. They love you, Mum,” he smirked, “Not as much as yer favorite son, though.”

“Of course not.”

It didn’t take too long to bring all of the boxes into the house since Michelle had learned to condense her belongings since she began living with Dean. It seemed like there were just as many boxes with Daisy’s things as there were of hers. It made her chuckle to herself for a few moments. Her heart sank a little bit as she noticed that Eggsy didn’t have anything with him to move into the flat. She knew that most of his things were at Alex’s, but it was a detail that she couldn’t help but to notice.

“Alright boys,” she smiled at the four of them all sitting on pillows in the sea of boxes, “I’m gonna go get Daisy. Since I can’t really pay you all for your work just yet, if you wanna hang around I’ll come back and make everyone dinner?”

Everyone’s eyes brightened at the sound of that. Alex nodded, “Sounds great, Mrs. B.”

“Oh, Daisy is going to be so excited to see all of you,” she grabbed the keys to the moving truck, “I’ll be back soon. No parties while I’m gone.”

Once she door shut behind her, everyone let out sighs of relief. The three boys were all looking around the flat wide-eyed. None of them could believe that Eggsy was able to secure a place like this for his mom.

“She seems happy, mate,” Alex finally said.

Eggsy nodded, “That’s what I was hopin’ for. She deserves this, yea?”

“No doubt.”

The four of them sat cross-legged on the floor talking while they were waiting for Michelle to come back with Daisy. It felt so much like how it had been when they were all younger and hanging out at each other’s houses. Eggsy knew that more than anything his mom was going to enjoy being able to have him and his friends over again. She liked being able to take care of everyone and make dinner or whatever the case may be, even if it was just for a couple hours one night a week.

“Guess who’s here?” Michelle called out as she unlocked the door.

“Is that my Dais?” Eggsy spun around.

“Eggsy!” Daisy jumped out of Michelle’s arms and ran over to her brother.

“My girl!” he wrapped her in a hug and squeezed her tight to his chest for a few moments, “You’ve got a new house!”

“Mummy told me!” she was smiling from ear to ear, her eyes brightening when she took notice of all three of her favorite uncles sitting in the room, “Are Uncles living here too??”

Eggsy laughed, “I don’ think so, Doll. They’re all still living with Uncle Alex, ‘member?”

“Any’a you boys want to help me in the kitchen?” Michelle was smiling at the lot of them with her arms full of groceries, happy just to see them all together again.

“I’ll lend a hand,” Jamal hopped up.

“You can cook, bruv?” Eggsy laughed, “Since when?”

“We all hadda learn when you started ditching us,” he laughed as he took one of the bags from Eggsy’s mom.

“How _is_ Harry, by the way?” Michelle asked, knowing that would be the only reason Eggsy ever left his boys.

A bit of a hush fell over the room as they all waited for Eggsy to respond. He smiled, nodding, “He’s good, Mum. He might stop by depending on what he’s stuck with at work.”

She nodded, giving a genuine smile, “That’d be nice.”

As the night was winding down, Eggsy was helping his mom set up Daisy’s bed, and Kingsman had a bed all set up in the other bedroom for Michelle, all she had to do was put her own sheets on it. She smiled as she felt the place slowly starting to feel more and more like home. She looked over at Eggsy, “Where are you sleeping, babe?”

He nodded back towards the living room, “There’s plenty’a pillows and blankets out there. I’ll make my own bed till we get a couch or somethin’.”

“Are you sure? You can sleep here instead if you want.”

He smiled, shaking his head, “This is yer room, Mum. All yours,” he hugged her, “Get some rest, yea? It’s been a long day.”

She laughed, “That it has. Eggsy, I, I really appreciate all this. I don’t know how to thank you.”

He shook his head, “You don’ have to. You’re my mum, I’ll do anyhtin’ fer you,” he kissed her on the cheek, “Lemme know if you need anything. G’night, Mum. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

When Michelle woke up the next morning, Eggsy had already left for work. She checked in on Daisy, who was still fast asleep after an exciting night before. She made her way to the kitchen where she saw was a note from Eggsy on the table, right next to a small pot of flowers.

_“Harry brought these for you when he came to pick me up for work. I’ll see you tonight and I’ll help finish unpacking. Love you, Eggsy”_

She smiled as she set his note back on the table and pulled the flowers closer. There were a couple different kinds, but right off the bat she recognized the small, blue forget-me-nots. There was a note in the flowers as well. She took it out and carefully unfolded it—it certainly wasn’t Eggsy’s writing so she had to assume that it was Harry’s.

_“Hoping that moving in is going smoothly, Michelle. Everything else is sorted, so there’s no need to worry. If you ever need anything, I’m never far. Bests, Harry Hart”_

A man of few words but Michelle knew that he meant everything he said. She gently set the note back into the flowers as she moved them to the windowsill in the kitchen and gave them some water. She leaned back against the sink counter, looking around her flat full of boxes. She still couldn’t get past the fact that this was _her flat_. She was going to be able to have a normal life again, with a good job so she could get nice things for her children, and her own car someday down the road. Things were going to be good, starting with their new home.

 

Time flew by once everyone started sorting out their new lives. Daisy moved to a new daycare, one in a better part of town. Michelle picked up a job and she’d never felt so happy getting up and ready in the morning. Eggsy made sure that some of his pay was always going into a savings that he’d made for Daisy, and one that he’d made for his mother as well. He’d started gradually spending nights back at Harry’s again. The more comfortable he felt his mom and sister were, the longer he’d stay. Not that that stopped him from bringing Harry over to their place for dinner at least once a week. It was awkward the first few times, but there was an unspoken decision between Harry and Michelle that as long as everyone was safe, and as long as everyone was happy, there was no need to stir up dust that had been settled for so long. Not to mention she enjoyed having someone around who was as good of a cook as Harry was.

One night, when it was just Eggsy with his mother at the flat, he was helping her clean up everything after dinner. He’d been meaning to talk to her for a few days, but could just never find the right time.

“Ay, Mum, c’n I talk to you about something?”

She nodded as she washed the dishes in the sink, “Always, babe.”

“It’s about ‘Arry.”

“Is everything alright?”

“Yea, yea, everything is…great actually.”

“That’s good,” she smiled and turned to face him for a moment, “So what did you want to talk about.”

“He and I ‘ave been talking about me movin’ in with him…”

She nodded, waiting for him to continue, “Okay. Are you ready for that?”

“Yea, yea,” he didn’t know what he was expecting her to say, but it wasn’t that, “I’m ready. I stayed with him a lot before. But I just, I don’ wanna move in with him if you need me or want me here, ya get me?”

She laughed, nodding, “You’re too good, Eggsy. Too, too good,” she drained the sink and dried off her hands, “Look, as much as I _love_ having the three of us living together, I know you’re growin’ up. You have your own life, Eggsy, I respect that. If you want to move in with Harry, don’t let me stop you.”

“You’re sure?”

She stepped forward and wrapped him in a hug, “Positive, babe. I’m happy for you two. And I think that Daisy and I can handle ourselves around here. We’re pretty settled in.”

Eggsy was about to say something, but his phone rang before he could. He looked down and saw Merlin’s number. He looked over at his mom, “Sorry, Mum, it’s work,” he answered the call, “Ay, Guv, what's going on?"

“Eggsy, lad, I hate to drag you back in tonight, but I need an extra set of hands and eyes.”

“Be there soon, bruv,” he hung up and tucked the phone back into his pocket. He looked at Michelle, “That’s my cue.”

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, “Go save the world, babe.”

“I’m tryin’ to,” he smirked as he grabbed his glasses and headed out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so in love with domesticity it's ridiculous. Not even sorry. ^.^
> 
> If it feels like I'm starting to wrap things up in this story...it's because I am. Not over yet, but getting there. These characters have been through a lot and I just wanna make sure they all get the happy endings they deserve.


	46. Chapter 46

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day!  
> I'm trash and haven't updated this fic in practically a year!  
> Please still love me!  
> But in all seriousness I'm sorry I dropped off for so long. All my precious babies in this book deserve a good resolution and that's what they're going to get. Here's another chapter because I'm back from the dead, just like this story. xox

“You ready for this?” Alex asked as they packed a few more of Eggsy’s things.

Eggsy laughed as he taped another box shut, “I guess we’ll see, won’ we?” he smirked, “If I come bustin’ through the door in the middle of the night in a few weeks you’ll have yer answer.”

Alex smiled, “Sounds like you got a lotta faith in yourself, mate.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he shrugged and sat back on the bed, “It’s jus’, I dunno, it’s kinda a big deal, innit?”

Alex laughed, nodding, “Yea, yea it’s a pretty big fuckin’ deal,” he sighed, “I’ll go grab a couple more boxes.”

Once he walked out of the room, Eggsy sighed and looked around the room that had been his home away from home. Staying with Alex was something between an extended sleepover, and being actual roommates. He and Alex both knew it wasn’t something that was going to be permanent, but neither of them thought it was going to go the way that it had, either. They’d been through a lot since Eggsy wound up at Alex’s in the middle of the night, strung out and bruised up. Eggsy was glad that things were ending on a good note after such a nerve-wracking start. He didn’t think that Alex would’ve seen this coming in a million years. He hadn’t seen it coming either.

The two of them were able to get most of Eggsy’s things packed and moved across the street. There was no use, Alex reasoned, in loading up the car when there weren’t all that many boxes to begin with—it would be easier to just walk them over. Regardless, Eggsy was just glad to have the help. The past few nights had been spent without sleep in the lab with Merlin and it was starting to catch up with him.

“Besides,” he laughed as he hoisted a box up, “I wanna check out this place you’re moving into.”

“Casin’ the place to rob?” Eggsy chuckled as he stacked two boxes and lifted them.

“Only to figure out how to steal you back if I need you.”

Eggsy had been just throwing all of his boxes into the guest room down the hall, figuring that they’d be out of the way enough there so he didn’t have to rush to unpack. But he imagined Harry wouldn’t want him to take too long unpacking anyway.

“Holy shit, Eggsy,” Alex’s jaw was lax, “This place is insane. What took you so long ta move in here again?”

Eggsy laughed, taking the box from Alex and bringing it up to the guest room, “Pre’ty nice, yea?”

Alex trailed along like a puppy, looking around at all the photos of everywhere that Harry had been, and all the artwork on the walls. He couldn’t believe that he’d been across the street from the man for so long and never realized that he was, well, rich apparently, but also just so _interesting_. Alex had always seen him leave in his well-made suit and just assumed that he had a fairly mundane day job, maybe a lawyer or something. But the inside of the man’s house certainly told a different narrative than the one that Alex had been writing.

“You said your boyfriend’s a tailor?” he sounded skeptical.

“Yea,” Eggsy set the box on the floor, “Over on Savile Row.”

“He make suits for the fucking queen?” he laughed.

Eggsy gave him a confused look, “What?”

“Mate, look around,” he tucked his hands into his pockets, “No wonder you like bein’ over here so much. Like stayin’ in a fuckin’ hotel, yea? He must be making suits for some pretty important people.”

“Not the queen, I’m afraid,” Harry’s voice floated in from the doorway, “However, a few dignitaries who were going to meet with the queen, I’ve made suits for.”

Both of their bodies tensed up as they slowly turned around to face him. Eggsy hadn’t expected Harry home for another day or so, and Alex just wasn’t used to being in such close proximity to him. He certainly had planned on making a better first impression on his best friend’s boyfriend. But this would have to do. Meanwhile Eggsy internally cursed JB for not giving some kind of a warning that he was home, but he had to admit it was nice that the two of them got on well enough for that to happen.

“’Arry, Love,” a grin spread across Eggsy face as he walked over, greeting Harry with a kiss, “Didn’ expect you home fer another couple days.”

“Trip got cut short,” he smiled, “Not that I had a problem with that. I like it much more here, anyway,” he paused, turning to Alex who was still standing awkwardly near the bed. Harry extended a hand, “You’re Alex, correct? From next door?”

He nodded, stepping forward to shake Harry’s hand, “Yes. Good to see you, Harry. Never realized how little I knew my neighbor until Eggsy started goin’ on about you,” he laughed.

Harry smiled, “I hope it was at least mostly good things.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes, “Like I have anything _bad_ to say about you, Love.”

Harry shook his head, but there was a twinkle in his eye that gave him away, “So,” he looked back and forth between the two of them, “it seems like you’ve got most of the moving in all done, yes?”

“Yea,” Eggsy shrugged, “Not too much ta move in anyway, y’know?”

The three of them made their way back downstairs in relative silence. Harry led the way while Eggsy and Alex walked behind him. Alex looked over at his friend and shook his head. Eggsy raised his eyebrows as if to ask what he was so frazzled about, but all he got in return was Alex continuing to stare at the steps and shake his head in disbelief.

“Do you have any plans tonight, Alex?” Harry asked as they reached the living room.

Alex snapped to attention, “Um, no, not that I know of.”

“Care to stay for dinner, then?”

He cast a quick look at Eggsy, who was smiling. He looked back to Harry, “I don’t want to intrude. It’s your first night moved in together and all.”

“C’mon, bruv,” Eggsy laughed as he wandered off to the kitchen, “You know better than anyone that I’ve been moved in ‘ere for a while now.”

Harry smiled, “He has a point,” he politely gestured to Alex that he could take a seat at the counter.

Alex laughed, “Looks like I’ve got two people that I can’t argue with now. Great.”

“I’m nothing compared to Eggsy, if that makes you feel any better.”

Eggsy already had a large spoon in his hand, and was shaking it at the two of them, “Don’ b’lieve a word that comes outta his mouth, bruv. He’s a right pain in the ass when he wants to be. He’s just gonna be on good behavior while you’re here.”

As Alex watched Harry take the seat next to him at the counter, he couldn’t believe how awkward he _didn’t_ feel. Sure, when Harry showed up out of nowhere it caught him off-guard, but after that initial anxiety faded, he realized that he felt alright. This was his first time at Harry’s house, or spending time with Harry in general. He had played the scenario out in his head before, the way that protective best friends do, and he always pictured himself being much more uncomfortable. Nothing personal, but they were both just so different. But as he sat there with Harry, he didn’t find himself fidgeting at all, or looking for an out of any kind.

“Is he still,” he gestured to Eggsy, “y’know, kinda,” he lowered his voice to a whisper that was _just_ loud enough for Eggsy to hear, “ _bossy_ in the kitchen?”

Harry nodded, “Oh yes. Very much so.”

Eggsy spun around, “Ay, you lissen here. I didn’t let any’a you in the kitchen ‘cos you woulda burned the place down.”

“The kitchen is still intact, isn’t it?”

He scoffed, “Only ‘cos you got Anna there now,” he paused, “So when’re you askin’ _her_ ta move in?”

“Soon enough, mate. Soon enough,” he had to laugh.

Eggsy shook his head as he looked in the fridge, “Give me grief about commitment issues when you’re in the same damn boat. Absolutely ridiculous.”

“It ain’t the same, and you know it,” Alex shook his head, “Her mum likes me, but I don’t think she likes me _that_ much.”

“You don’t think that she sees this comin’? Anna’s mum ain’t that dense, bruv. If she hasn’t said that she’s got a problem with it by this point you’re probably in the clear,” he shrugged, “If you’re that worried just ask her.”

Harry smiled to himself as he listened to the two young men bicker back and forth. He stood and made himself a drink, silently gesturing to Eggsy to see if he wanted one. Eggsy shook his head but nodded to Alex, because he knew that he’d be too shy to ask for a drink himself, then went right back to debating with him.

Alex stayed around for a while after dinner, initially just so it didn’t look like he was trying to pull an eat-and-run, but after a while he didn’t realize the time flying by. The only thing that clued him in was a text from Anna asking if he was going to be home that night. He couldn’t believe the time, and he was actually sad to say that he had to go. He could easily see why Eggsy never really left in the first place.

“I hate to just up and leave,” he said with a sigh, “but I think I’ve gotta get going.”

Eggsy checked the time on his own phone and laughed, “Shit, didn’t realize it was that late. You got work in the morning?”

“Don’t I always?” he stood up and stretched before turning back to Harry, “Thanks for dinner and everything. I really appreciate it.”

Harry stood up as well, “No need to thank me. It was nice to finally meet you and get to talk to you.”

Alex chuckled as he made his way to the front door, “Yea, Eggsy tries to hide us all away. Afraid we’ll embarrass him.”

Eggsy smirked, “C’n you blame me?”

“Ry and Jamal are gonna be so mad that they missed this,” he said as he pulled his sneakers on.

“Their fault for being too lazy to help me move in the first place,” Eggsy shook his head.

Alex shook Harry’s hand and thanked him again for dinner, and for taking care of Eggsy. He told the man that if he ever needed to return him back across the street to just knock and leave him on the steps and they would know. Harry smiled, the real kind of smile that Eggsy had learned to notice, when his eyes would crinkle around the edges, telling Alex that he was happy to know there was always an alternative.

Harry could see that there were some things that Alex and Eggsy would rather address in semi-private, so he slipped off to the kitchen to give them some space. The two of them stood there staring at each other, not really sure how to say what they were thinking. Eggsy was only moving across the street, after all. But it still felt like the end of something incredibly important.

“Thanks,” Eggsy finally started, “for everything. I know that it hasn’t been easy these past couple’a years with me bein’ there. I know I wasn’t a part of the plan, but you kept me ‘round anyway and I don’t know what I woulda done without that.”

There was a small smile on Alex’s face, “You don’t have to thank me, Eggsy. You’re my best friend, it’s what we do, isn’t it?”

He laughed, “I guess so.”

“I know you’ve got this sweet setup now,” Alex gestured to the house, “But if you ever need anything I’m _literally_ right across the street, yea? You’re always welcome to pop in whenever you want.”

“Thanks, bruv,” Eggsy hated that he was getting emotional over moving across the damn street, but he couldn’t help it. Everything was so different, and it didn’t _really_ hit him until that moment, “If you ever need somethin’, call. I’ll still kick ass if I have to,” he smirked, “’S the least I could do.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” he stood there in silence for a moment before stepping forward and wrapping Eggsy in a hug. He was a bit taller than Eggsy, so his friend’s head could practically rest on his shoulder when he hugged him. “Just keep takin’ care of yourself, alright?” his voice was a little quieter than it had been.

“Of course,” Eggsy took a deep breath, “You too.”

They finally stepped apart and it was time for Alex to make his way home. Eggsy opened up the door for him and they said a quick, much less emotional goodbye on the front step. Something that felt a little less final, a little less era-ending.

“Lemme know when you get home safe, bruv!” he called after Alex with a laugh. Alex didn’t turn around but Eggsy could see him shaking his head as he jogged across the street. Once he was inside the house, Eggsy shut the door and let out a sigh.

Harry materialized, the way that he always seemed to, “Everything alright?”

Eggsy smiled, “Yea, it’s all good. Just a bit weird. Everything’s jus’…diff’rent.”

“Are you still okay with that? With this?”

He laughed, nodding, “Of course, bruv. I don’t scare that easy,” he paused, raising one eyebrow, “Unless you want me gone that bad already?”

Harry pulled him into a kiss, “Never.”

Eggsy disappeared upstairs to search for a set of clothes to change into, preferably old comfortable clothes of Harry’s if he could find them. Harry was on his laptop, scanning through different files for work. He had paperwork from the mission he just came home from that he had to get to relatively soon if he didn’t want Arthur _and_ Merlin both on his case. For all that he preached to the new candidates about how Kingsman wasn’t just about going off and shooting the bad guys, that there were more menial tasks to be dealt with, he certainly didn’t like dealing with any of them either. He chuckled to himself, remembering how only a few weeks ago James came into his office, lamenting over the fact that he had been staring at a computer screen more than anything else for the past week. Harry had told him to be glad that he wasn’t recruited for the Merlin position.

“Lookin’ awful pensive over there,” Eggsy said with a smirk as he walked into the living room.

Harry looked up, smiling, “Just trying to get through paperwork.”

“Need anything while I’m up?”

He patted the spot on the couch next to him, “For you to come and sit with me.”

“Too easy,” he laughed as he collapsed onto the cushion, causing Harry to lose the perfect balance that he had with the laptop perched on his legs.

“You still like that old thing, do you?” he asked with a smile as he looked at Eggsy who was wearing the same old Arsenal jersey that he seemed to adore so much, not that Harry could ever figure out _why_.

“Don’ talk about yourself like that, Love,” there was a cheeky smile on his face.

Harry gave him a playful shove, causing him to tip over on the couch, “Going to start harassing me now that you’re here for good, are you?”

“Oh, wait,” he sat back up, “Yer telling me that all the shit I did before wasn’t harassment? I broke through your damn window.”

“You didn’t _break_ it,” he kept his eyes locked on his computer screen.

Eggsy wasn’t going to nit-pick. He sat back and leaned against Harry’s one arm, giving him just enough freedom to continue scrolling and typing for whatever it was he had to wrap up from his mission.

A few minutes later Harry shut his laptop, properly sliding his arm around Eggsy and pulling the young man closer to him. Eggsy’s head rested against his side and Harry began idly running his fingers through his hair. Neither of them said much of anything, unless Eggsy was telling the detectives on the TV how to do their jobs. Harry would simply look down at him and smile. Occasionally he would remind Eggsy that the people on the screen can’t hear them, to which Eggsy would always give some sort of snarky remark and continue trying to tell Law & Order cops how to solve their current cases.

Eggsy listened to the steady beat of Harry’s heart and smiled to himself as he tried to get as close as possible to the man that was sitting next to him. He felt Harry’s fingers gently run and twist through his hair and if he wasn’t so determined to stay awake, it would’ve put him to sleep. In that moment Eggsy couldn’t imagine being anywhere else in the world.

“You don’ mind this being your night, every night for a while?” Eggsy asked without looking up.

Harry smiled, kissing the top of his head, “I don’t mind at all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for sticking with me! ^.^


	47. Chapter 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The trailer release made me get my butt back in gear for the time being at least. Hope you enjoy!

Eggsy was in the dining room at the shop, waiting for Arthur to show up. He had gotten past the point of being nervous when these meetings were called. And, for the sake of his own sanity and pride, got less and less annoyed at them as time went on. He gave the old man the benefit of the doubt, waiting until he said something stupid to be annoyed. He’d like to think that it was because he was growing as a person, but the reality of it was that it was a lot less exhausting that way.

The door slowly opened and Arthur walked in. When he looked up and saw Eggsy he couldn’t recover the surprised look on his face quite fast enough. “You’re early,” he managed.

Eggsy leaned back in his chair, fighting the urge to make a comment about how just because he was living with Harry doesn't mean that he would pick up the man's habit of being perpetually late, “What’s that saying? Early is on time, on time is late?”

He chuckled as he took his seat at the head of the table, “Yes, something like that.”

There was a knot forming in the put of Eggsy’s stomach solely because Arthur didn’t have a tense and angry aura about him for once. He smiled, he even did his own version of a laugh, and Eggsy was on even higher alert than normal. He liked it better when people were mad at him and were just upfront about it. While Arthur was passive-aggressive in many situations, he usually couldn’t hide it too well. He waited for the hammer to drop.

“So I suppose you’re wondering why I called you in, yes?”

“I’ve given up on wondering,” there wasn’t any snark in his voice—it was just the honest truth.

Arthur hadn’t been expecting that. He cleared his throat, “Well, regardless, do you want to know why I called you in?”

Eggsy’s mouth twitched, fighting back a smirk, “Sure, Arthur. What’s the big secret this time?”

“There have been openings in other branches of our Kingsman agency. Not field agent positions, but other areas of operation. It has been brought to my attention, by _multiple_ members of our organization, that it seems a bit more logical to hire those who already have an inkling to how things work in our world.”

Thoughts were flying through Eggsy’s head at a mile a minute. First and foremost, Arthur was _actually_ being swayed by his colleagues? Maybe he really was losing his touch. Or planning on retirement. Or both. But after putting a pin in that train of thought, Eggsy got back to the real issue at hand: they were going to have to hire more Kingsman agents. Or, they weren’t going to be agents in the sense of being field agents, but regardless they would be on the premises. 

“I’m not quite sure what this has got to do with me,” which was an honest response. Eggsy already worked there—he didn’t feel that he needed to move departments. It’s also not like Arthur cared much about his opinion anyway.

“Nothing, directly that is. But along with these facts, it’s also been brought to my attention that you know of a few people who happen to fit the description.”

As the words sunk in, a smirk crossed Eggsy’s face. The weeks and weeks of constant bickering with Arthur over whether it was ethical or smart to keep in touch with Rebecca and Louis and now this was happening. There was something gratifying about Arthur asking him for help. He leaned back in his chair, “I could think of a name or two.”

He sighed, “Do you still keep in touch with them?”

“A bit, but not as much. Amazin’ what’ll happen when you threaten someone’s job, yea?”

He cleared his throat, “Ah, yes, well, surely by now you understand the security risks that it might pose if we continued to be involved with past candidates.”

“Surely you understand by now the security risks that are posed by _not_ being involved with the past candidates,” he knew he shouldn’t go where he was about to but he was past the point of no return, “Just look at what happened with Goodwell.”

His eyes narrowed, “I’m trying to provide you with an opportunity here, Eggsy. I think it would be best if—”

“You’re trying to provide me with an opportunity? Since when? Ever since I showed up here all you’ve been trying to do is get rid of me. So what’s really goin’ on here, Arthur? Blokes like you don’t just change like that overnight.”

“Are you willing to help me or not?” his voice was right back to being cold and detached. 

A million snarky responses ran through Eggsy’s mind as he sat across from his boss, who was asking for his help. The tables had turned in cosmic proportions, or at least that’s how it seemed. He sat there in silence for a moment, making Arthur wait and also giving himself time to step back and respond to the situation in a logical manner.  
“Sure,” he paused again, “But just to be clear: you’re granting me permission to talk to ‘em? I’m not gonna get fired for shooting them a text or makin’ a phone call?”

He sighed, “No, you won’t.”

“Great,” he stood up, giving a slight nod to the man sitting at the head of the table, “as always, it was great talkin’ to you.”

Before Arthur could get a word in edgewise, Eggsy had already disappeared out the door. The man sat there, wondering what exactly he had just done. It wasn’t the reaction that he was expecting to get—until that point Eggsy would have rather gnawed off his own arm than make Arthur’s life any easier or provide him with any kind of direct assistance. He wondered what had changed.

Eggsy quickly strode into the fitting room, descending down to the tube. As the door shut, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and started a group text between him, Louis, and Rebecca. Time was of the essence, and he hoped that the two of them were still game for whatever Arthur potentially set up for them.

His thumbs flew across his phone’s keyboard, _“Hope you guys are still around, or can get yourself to be around. I know it’s been a bit but we gotta talk. Let me know when you’re free. The sooner the better. Hope you guys are doing good.”_

He tucked his phone back into the pocket of his jeans and proceeded to stare at the wall opposite of him. He wanted to talk to Harry about this, or Merlin. Arthur said that multiple agents had spoken to him about it and yet neither Harry nor Merlin ever mentioned anything in passing to Eggsy. He wondered if James knew, and if he did, why didn’t Arthur make him the one in charge of all of this? He didn’t even know what positions were currently up for grabs. In hindsight it might have paid off to wait around a couple more minutes to gather some more information. But Arthur knew how to reach him. The man had a love for calling face-to-face meetings, but he could easily give Eggsy a phone call or send an email to work out the rest of the details.

The shuttle came to a stop and Eggsy all but leapt out of the car. He made his way to Merlin’s office, trying to avoid talking to anyone along the way. That wasn’t usually his style, but he had too many questions to risk distraction at the moment.

“Merlin,” he skipped right over his usual greeting as he walked into the office, “did you know that Arthur wants to bring Rebecca and Louis back to fill in other positions here?”

“Good morning, Eggsy,” he spun around in his chair, “I take it the meeting with Arthur went well.”

“So you knew?”

“I know everything, lad.”

Eggsy rolled his eyes—he should’ve seen that one coming. “Is he really going to bring them back?”

“It’s not up to him. It’s up to you.”

“How?”

Merlin laughed, a real laugh. It wasn’t often that he let out more than a chuckle and a smirk of sorts. He shook his head, “You don’t believe that they would ever come back because Arthur asked them, do you?”

“I get that he’s a prick, but they wanted this so bad.”

“Would you put yourself back in Arthur’s line of fire if you were in their positions?”

Eggsy chuckled, “I figured Rebecca would want to just so she would have the chance to take him out herself,” he took a breath, “But I get what you’re saying. If I do this though, I’m not puttin’ ‘em in danger with Arthur or anything, right?”

He shook his head, “Not at all. But Arthur knows when he’s lost, and he was smart to recruit you to do this for him.”

Eggsy nodded and that was the last thing they said about it. The rest of the day they went about their work as though their first conversation hadn’t even happened. Eggsy tried not to focus on it too much as he felt his phone buzz in his pocket, almost positive that it was Rebecca and Louis getting back to him promptly with responses that were most likely along the lines of, _“Alright, but what the fuck?”_

With the way that things were going with a few of the agents out in the field, Eggsy knew that he wasn’t going to be going back to Harry’s that night. More than likely he and Merlin would say that they would work in shifts so they could each grab a couple hours of sleep here and there. Not that that was ever how it really went. Almost always the two of them would both stay up all hours of the night and spend the following day miserable and doing everything just short of injecting caffeine directly into their veins. Eggsy made sure to let Harry know not to wait up for him and that he would see him the next day. It wasn’t something that he really needed to do, since Harry knew what was going on, but Eggsy always felt like it was nice to tell Harry himself.

As the hours ticked by, nothing went catastrophically wrong, which was great. But there were just enough hiccups and surprises to make it so that neither Merlin nor Eggsy had any hopes of grabbing even a couple hours of sleep in their own beds at home. The only bright side was that Gawain was able to keep the both of them in somewhat high spirits since he was always there with a joke for any situation. James was the other person who was stuck out in the field. He wasn’t in any immediate danger, but time zones were the biggest hassle, especially when information wasn’t getting relayed the way that it needed to.

Merlin finally leaned back in his seat and took a breath, not realizing how long it had been since he relaxed the muscles in his shoulders and his jaw. He rested his head back on the chair and looked up at the ceiling, fighting the urge to let out a groan of frustration. He looked over at Eggsy, who was still hunched over his own keyboard and speaking quietly into his headset. Merlin had to admit that he was becoming a fairly competent handler when he had to fill in as one. It was reassuring.

“If you want to step out and grab a,” he looked down at his watch, “late dinner,” Merlin said when Eggsy leaned away from his mic, “I think I can take care of things for a bit.”

“Well I can grab you somethin’ too, Guv. No use in you going hungry. I can’t run the place on my own if ya keel over,” he smirked.

“Get me anything that comes with a side of coffee,” he smiled for a moment before turning back to the sea of monitors in front of him.

Eggsy rolled across the room to the door in his chair, and scampered out into the hallway before Merlin could yell at him for it again. There was no point in having chairs with wheels, Eggsy reasoned, if they didn’t use them to get anywhere. That would be like owning a car and only ever going up and down your own driveway.

By the time he came back to the lab, he had a takeout bag in his hand (along with an extra-large coffee), one tucked under his chin, and a four-pack of Red Bull dangling from his other hand. He tried to be as quiet as possible as Merlin coached Gawain out of whatever situation the man had landed himself in. Eggsy kicked the door shut as gently as he could. He set the coffee down in front of Merlin, along with the bag that had his dinner in it, and went down to his end.

Merlin leaned back, shutting his mic off, and smiled over at Eggsy, “Thank you for this. I didn’t expect you to go grocery shopping.”

Eggsy laughed, “Figured it was probably yer first meal of the day.”

Merlin chuckled and shook his head but didn’t actually try to argue. The universe was kind enough to give them twenty minutes of quiet so that they could eat in peace. They didn’t say much of anything to each other—by that point Eggsy had adopted Merlin’s affinity for silence, especially on days when everything seemed to be working against them. Merlin had gotten through most of his coffee, Eggsy downed two of his Red Bulls, and they were ready to get back to work.

After their late dinner, a majority of the night was quiet. Merlin spent it guiding Gawain to a safe house where he would be picked up the next day, and Eggsy spent it keeping tabs on James. He smiled to himself as he realized how much James had grown up and changed since he first met him in training. He was still green by Kingsman standards (not that Eggsy felt he had any room to talk) but even so there was a remarkable change compared to where he was. He had matured, but along with that Eggsy could also see that he was forming his own sense of control. He could hear it in James’s voice that he no longer felt as much like he was just a puppet on a set of strings, even when he was asking and waiting for instructions. The thought reminded him of something that he had been actively putting off all day.

He checked the messages on his phone and took a deep breath as he opened the conversation with about twenty missed messages. He skimmed over them quickly and started typing out a response, _“I’ve got a couple of job openings for you guys. Not field agents but if you still wanna be around here regardless lemme know and I’ll meet up with you soon.”_

Eggsy hated being so vague—that was what had frustrated him about Harry, and by extension Kingsman, for so long. There never seemed to be any straight answers at first and now he was the one who was dodging direct responses. He rolled his eyes at himself and shook his head.

“Ay, Merlin?” he waited for the man to look at him, “What exactly would they be up for if they decide to come back?”

Merlin typed away and pulled up a list on one of the monitors, “We’ve got a few scattered openings throughout the organization, which isn’t uncommon. We’re a lot larger than just the agents and the people designated to the shop. But we lost people in two of our most important departments: mechanics, and weapon development. I’m under the assumption that those are the positions that Arthur is looking to use Louis and Rebecca for.”

“You think they will?”

He thought on it for a moment, “Most likely. Louis will be easier to convince than Rebecca, though, is my bet.”

“Yea?”

“Yes. Not because I think she lacks dedication, though. Quite the opposite, and I think that after the way that Arthur treated her it’ll be difficult for her to put her loyalty in someone who doesn’t have her back.”

Eggsy nodded, fully understanding the sentiment. It wasn’t like he and Arthur got along, and he certainly didn’t trust the man to cover him if it ever came down to it. But he was just one person in the sea of amazing people. Eggsy would just have to remind Rebecca of that, that is if she even agreed to talk it over.

By the time morning rolled around, everyone was where they needed to be, regardless of where they were on the globe. Merlin didn’t seem any more exhausted than he usually was, but Eggsy on the other hand, was starting to understand why Merlin had lost all of his hair. The late nights and the caffeine and the constant worrying about whoever was in the field was enough to do that to just about anyone.

“Go home, Eggsy,” Merlin’s voice had a hint of grogginess to it, “Take a shower, get some rest. You can have the day off unless something else dire pops up.”

He waited a moment for a final cue that it was really alright to leave. He knew that sometimes Merlin just said things like that to be a kind boss and to give Eggsy an out if he really needed one. Eggsy sat still in his chair, looking at the exhausted man a few feet away from him.

The edges of Merlin’s mouth pulled up into a sort of tired smile and he nodded, “I’ll be fine, lad. I’ve got a whole team in the next room if I need anything.”

Eggsy was going to take his word for it. He stood up out of his chair, all of his exhaustion hitting him at once as he felt the blood rush to his head. He blinked hard a few times before stepping towards the door. “I’m jus’ gonna catch up a bit and shower. I’ll come back and let ya off in a few hours so you c’n get some sleep too. Call if you need me back.”

“Will do, Eggsy.”

“See ya, Guv,” he smiled, nodded, and slipped out of the lab.

Even though he had only been up for one night, when the hot water from the shower at Harry’s hit his back he felt a year’s worth of exhaustion disappear down the drain with it. he braced himself against the wall underneath the showerhead and shut his eyes, letting the water run down his shoulders and back, and drip off of his eyelashes after trickling down his forehead. It was in that moment that he was so glad he would never have to be a field agent. They had to stay awake for days at a time and Eggsy was feeling awful old as he realized that a single all-nighter sucked the life out of him. Steam was continuing to fill the small bathroom and Eggsy pretended that he was in a spa, with nothing to think about except relaxing. What a life that would be.

He managed to fumble around his drawer in the dresser and grab a pair of shorts to pull on before collapsing onto the bed. As much as he loved sleeping with Harry, nothing felt better than having the entire expanse of a mattress to yourself when the world has drained all of the energy out of you. As he sunk into the comforter and sheets, he felt energy seeping back into him. He lazily squirmed his way underneath the blanket and then it was lights out.

When he finally came to, he felt like he had been asleep for days rather than hours. He sat up and stretched his arms over his head, letting out a long, loud groan. The sounds caused JB to stir from his sleep for a moment, only to look over and see that Eggsy wasn’t in danger before turning and falling right back to sleep.

Eggsy wiped sleep from his eyes with one hand and gently pet JB’s head with the other, “When did you get home?”

He looked over at the bedside table, smiling at the fact that there was a note attached to a little paper bag. He plucked the note off, reading it as best he could as his eyes adjusted, _“Stopped in to check on you but didn’t want to wake you. I figured JB could look after you while I was out running errands. If you need anything, call. Love, Harry”_

Eggsy peaked into the bag and smiled. There was a bakery across town that Eggsy loved more than any other place he’d ever been to but he hardly ever took the time to go over and get anything unless it was a special occasion. It was nice to know that Harry had looser definitions of what a “special occasion” was.

He reached into the bag but as he pulled the pastry out another note dropped off the bottom of it. He picked it up and laughed as he read it, _“Please take the time to walk down stairs and reheat it for ten seconds. Eggsy. Please.”_ He sighed and shook his head—as much as he didn’t want to make the effort to go downstairs, now he felt like he had to. One hand held the pastry while the other was scrolling through the missed texts on his phone as he walked down the stairs.

Once he had eaten his present from Harry and changed into normal day clothes, he sat down on the bed and called Rebecca to try and sort out some of the final details of meeting up with her and Louis.

“Hello?” she sounded exactly the same.

“Ay, Becca, how’ve you been?”

“I’ve been doing alright, Eggsy. Actually, can I call you back in like two seconds?”

“’Course.”

“Great!” there was a click and she was gone.

True to her word, hardly a moment later Eggsy’s phone was buzzing again. This time it was a video-chat request. He chuckled and shook his head before answering, “Jus’ hadda see my face, did you?”

“That’s truly what we miss the most about Kingsman, you know.”

“We?”

Louis’s face popped onto the screen, “Eggsy!”

He smiled, “Louis, what’s up, bruv? How’re things with you?”

“Pretty good. Besides having to share a flat with this one,” he nodded at Rebecca.

Eggsy raised his eyebrows, “Yer sharing a flat?”

Rebecca shrugged, “More like Louis has a flat and a live-in maid. Which is why he has _no room_ to be complaining about the living situation.”

“Hey, I clean…sometimes.”

“Anyway,” she rolled her eyes, “what’s this about jobs? Not that I don’t love doing security but nothing is really going to hold up against what you guys do.”

“Well, the spots that we have up for you are in the mechanics department and…umm,” he didn’t want to say the actual job title over the phone, “ _defense development_. I don’t have all of the details. But if you’re interested I can bring you guys in and we can have an actual conversation about it with Arthur and hash out the rest of the details.”

“Sounds great!” the excitement on Louis’s face was almost too much to handle, “When should we swing through?”

“I’ll get in touch with Arthur and I’ll text you the details, yea?”

Rebecca nodded, “Sounds great.”

“I’ll be in touch,” Eggsy winked and ended the call. He flopped back onto the bed and ran his hands over his face, trying to muster up the drive to go back to the shop and get in touch with Arthur and get the rest of the process underway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to bring my recruit children back because I love them.

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as a one-shot, and I've been carrying it on as best I can, considering I didn't plan for it to be a full-length story. Never hesitate to toss comments, suggestions, ideas, etc. out there! I love hearing from you guys. :)


End file.
